Safe From Harm
by lizardwriter
Summary: Set post Minimal Loss so some spoilers for that episode. Could there be more than a sense of responsibility fueling Hotch's guilt at Emily's pain? Disclaimer: I own nothing related to CM. please don't sue.
1. Chapter 1

Hotch took one look at Emily and felt a murderous rage build up inside of him. She was visibly bruised, with dried blood evident on both her face and body. He wanted to kill Cyrus. Wanted to, but couldn't because the man was already dead. He'd blown up. That death was too quick. He should've had to suffer, just like he'd made Emily suffer. Just like he'd made others suffer. Justice would now never be done. Cyrus would never be made to truly pay for his actions. There would be no trial. No prison sentence. No justification for the girls whose lives he'd ruined. Hotch was a firm believer in justice. He also knew enough to know that true justice in this world was rare. You didn't have to work in the system very long to see exactly how flawed it was. Cyrus, however, would have gotten what he deserved in the courts. He'd attacked a federal agent. He'd participated in an attack on other law enforcement. Those charges, if none of the others, would have stuck. Then again, if Cyrus had walked out of that building alive, Hotch might not have resisted the urge to attack him himself. So maybe everything had worked out for the best. And Emily was ok. She was there, bruised and beaten, but ok. She was strong. She had told them she could take it. She was right.

Hotch hated when members of his team got hurt in any sense of the world. When Elle had been injured after he sent her home he'd blamed himself. When Morgan had had to be profiled and had had to spend time in lockup because an ignorant cop couldn't see past his tunnel vision, Hotch had been extremely frustrated that he couldn't do more to help. When Reid had been kidnapped, when he'd died and been tortured, Hotch had been furious with himself for not being able to protect the team's youngest member. He was very much the baby of the team and it had been excruciating watching the pain he was put through. Hotch had known that Reid was stronger than he appeared. And Reid had proven that. When Garcia had been shot…Well, when Garcia had been shot the whole team had felt the hit. She wasn't even a profiler. She was rarely out in the field. No one was prepared for the potential danger that was a daily part of their job to hit her. And now Emily…Emily was strong. She was an excellent agent. Hotch respected her more as an equal than maybe everyone else besides Dave. She'd proven herself to him time and time again. More than anyone else had felt the need to simply because of the way that she'd joined the team. Sure Hotch had been skeptical of her at first, but he'd quickly seen her value, seen the unique skills that she brought to the team. Then on the Joseph Smith case, when she'd been prepared to quit rather than play Strauss's politics, rather than betray the team and him, then he'd really realized just how valuable a team member she really was. And here she was…she could have been killed. She'd been badly beaten and she'd barely escaped the explosion. Hotch felt the rage boil up in him again.

Hotch just wanted to protect his team. These days they really were his family. Now that Haley was gone. Now that he only ever got Jack on weekends. During the week the BAU team was his family, and he was the patriarch. And what kind of a patriarch couldn't protect his family. Admittedly, his BAU family was more than capable of protecting themselves, but Hotch couldn't help but feel responsible.

He put a comforting arm around Emily. "Are you okay? How are you feeling? Do you think anything's broken? Let's have the medics check you out."

"Hotch, I'm fine. I just wish I could have saved that girl." Emily sighed, barely aware of the pain in her side. She wanted to save everyone. The reality of her job was that she couldn't, and she knew it, but that didn't make the losses any easier.

"Emily, you're getting checked out by the paramedics. This is not a discussion." Hotch said firmly.

Emily sighed again. "Okay, okay." It wasn't that she didn't appreciate her boss's concern; it was just that she had other things preoccupying her mind besides her health.

Hotch watched Emily as she headed to the ambulances that had arrived. He hoped she was ok. Truly ok. Both mentally and physically. He hated watching his team members be hurt. He just hated it.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey." Morgan approached Emily as she sat on the back of the ambulance.

"Hey." She replied, her mind still on the girl she couldn't save.

Morgan gave her an appraising look. "You look like crap."

"Gee thanks." Emily replied sarcastically.

"You look like someone beat the shit out of you." He said, taking a seat next to her.

"Ha…I wonder why…" She said distantly.

Morgan put an arm around Emily's waist and pulled her close, trying to comfort her. He knew exactly what was bothering her. "Em, nobody could have saved her."

Emily just nodded miserably. _I should have been able to!_

"Reid and I were lucky to get out alive. Cyrus had sucked her in. She was determined. We did our best, and that's what you have to remember, Em. That's what you have to cling to."

"Yeah, well sometimes our best just doesn't seem good enough." Emily sighed. The two friends sat in silence taking in the still chaotic scene around them. "How's Reid?" Emily asked after a few minutes.

"Besides his own feelings of guilt? He's ok. Physically he's pretty unharmed." Morgan replied.

"He shouldn't feel guilty for my decisions." Emily said. She'd done what she had to protect the younger agent, and she'd do it again in a heartbeat.

"Just like you shouldn't feel guilty for Jessica's decisions." Morgan pointed out.

Emily sighed, knowing that Morgan was right. She leaned on him a little, taking the comfort he offered her. She surveyed her surroundings again and found that Hotch was standing nearby watching her and Morgan. She sat up straight, pulling away from Morgan. She didn't want the situation to seem like something it wasn't.

Morgan jumped a little when Emily sat up suddenly. He followed her eyes and saw Hotch looking back at them. _She doesn't want it to seem like we're inappropriately fraternizing,_ he realized. As he watched Hotch he saw Dave approach him. Hotch turned his gaze away from them, but when Derek turned back to Emily, he saw her still watching their superior. _I wonder why she doesn't want him to think we're…fraternizing…'cause he's our boss? Or is there another reason? Does she know why?_ He smiled to himself at the possibility.


	3. Chapter 3

Hotch hadn't been surprised to see Morgan comforting Emily. He'd seen their friendship develop. He'd been happy about it. Knowing that there were other people that his team members could lean on, could turn to after a hard day, took some of the burden off of him. What had surprised Hotch was the knot that had formed in the pit of his stomach as he had watched them. _You're worried about her. You want to make sure she's ok. Of course you have a knot in the pit of your stomach after a day like today._ She looked up and saw him and jumped, but he couldn't look away. He didn't feel the need to walk away. _Why did she jump? Never mind. I should go check on her, see what the medics said._ Morgan looked up too. _No, Morgan's taking care of her. Let her have some time. You can see how she's doing on the plane._

"Hotch…" Dave interrupted his thoughts.

Hotch turned to look at the older agent. "Dave, I want to thank you for what you did today. For how you handled it. No one could have done it better."

Dave smiled. "We got our agents back and we had minimal loss. We all did good work." Dave glanced at where Hotch had been looking before. He saw Emily and Morgan and shuddered involuntarily at the bruising on Emily's face. "Looks like she'll be ok, but Cyrus got her good."

Hotch looked back at Emily, and was mildly surprised to find her looking at him and Dave. He had assumed that she would turn back to Morgan, to the comfort that he provided. Hotch felt the knot come back into his stomach. _I really should see if she's ok. Maybe we'll have to postpone the flight. Maybe she needs to go to the hospital to get thoroughly checked out. I should probably insist that she does. An MRI or a CAT scan might not be a bad idea._

Dave studied Hotch's face. "It's not easy seeing them get hurt." He said thoughtfully.

Hotch shook his head. "No. It's never easy." He turned back to Dave. "Have you talked to Reid? How's he handling things?"

"He's doing ok. Thinks it's his responsibility that Emily had to take a beating, but I think he'll be alright. He's gotten a lot stronger since he's been going to meetings. I don't think he'll relapse." Hotch had told him, discussed Reid's addiction with him. Discussed how it would and could affect the team and the cases. He hadn't needed to tell him though. Rossi had been able to tell. He was by no means a novice profiler, and he'd seen the signs immediately. They had both been relieved when Reid had begun getting help. Rossi never confronted him about it, but he had seen the improvements in the young man's life.

"Good. None the less, I think we should watch him over the next few weeks. Just to be sure."

Dave nodded in agreement. He looked back at Emily and Morgan. "It's nice that he's there for her while she needs it." He said.

Hotch nodded. After a moment's thought he asked, "You don't think that anything inappropriate is going on there, do you?" He wasn't sure why he asked it, he just felt the need to get the older man's opinion.

Dave was slightly surprised by the question. "I don't believe so, but even if it is, does it really matter unless it affects the team?"

Hotch shook his head, but he wasn't sure. If something could potentially affect the team then he should know about it, right? Still, he knew that fraternization between agents happened all the time, had always happened, once again proving that prohibiting something doesn't stop it from happening. He sighed. Probably nothing was happening, and unless he saw it affect the team, he'd stay out of it.


	4. Chapter 4

Hotch watched Emily talk to Reid. Even bruised and battered she was still more concerned with her team mates than herself. She still knew to talk to Reid and console him. He admired her for that.

Morgan sat down across from Hotch. "Man, I'm glad that's over." He said with a sigh.

Hotch nodded in agreement.

Morgan studied his superior's face. Despite that the situation was over, he still seemed tense. "It's always rough when the people we care about get put in the line of fire."

Hotch nodded again.

"You can talk about it you know." Morgan said.

Hotch looked at him directly for the first time. He knew that Morgan was offering to listen to his problems, but Hotch couldn't. As the team leader, he shared the least with the others. He had to portray strength and competence at all times. The only one with whom he shared was Dave, and even then rather rarely. The older agent had an uncanny ability to read him, so sharing with him was easier. Hotch couldn't share with Morgan though. Not now.

"I'm fine, but thanks." He said politely.

Morgan shrugged and stuck his headphones in his ears, leaving Hotch to his thoughts.

He surveyed his team. Dave was reading through a file, occasionally writing notes in his notebook. JJ had drifted off to sleep. Reid was looking out the window, probably thinking about the case. Hotch's eyes came to rest on Emily again. She was reading now. Hotch still hadn't talked to her to make sure she was ok. He stood up and went over to talk to her.

"Reid, do you mind?" Hotch asked, indicating he wished to talk to Emily.

Reid looked up surprised. He'd been lost in thought and completely unaware of Hotch's approach. "Oh. No. Sure." He stood up and went to sit across from Morgan.

Hotch sat down and cleared his throat.

Emily looked up from her book and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to talk.

"How are you doing?" He asked.

"Fine, Hotch." She replied.

"What did the doctor say?" He persisted, unwilling to let her vague answer stand.

"That I've got a few scrapes and bruises. The only thing that might cause me pain for longer than a day or two is a couple of bruised ribs. No serious cuts. No broken bones." Emily replied more thoroughly.

"Good. I'm glad." The lack of severe physical injury was a weight off of Hotch's mind. "And how are you otherwise?"

Emily hesitated. She knew exactly what Hotch was asking, but she didn't open up easily, especially to her boss. "I'll be fine."

"I have no doubt that you will." He said, trying to reassure her. He wasn't questioning her mental strength or her ability to do her job, and he wanted to be sure that she knew that. "But if you want to talk about it now, I'm here."

Emily nodded. "Thanks, but I'm sure you have plenty to do."

"I'm never too busy for my team, Emily." He said, reaching across the table and taking her hand in his. It was an unconscious gesture for Hotch. He wanted to reassure her, to show his support.

Emily, however, was unused to her boss's touch. Hotch wasn't exactly a touchy feely guy, especially with his colleagues. It wasn't that he was cold, or that he'd never touched her before, but he'd never taken her hand. She wasn't sure why, but it threw her off a little. She wasn't quite sure how to react. "I know, Hotch." She pulled her hand back from his.

Hotch looked down, surprised to find that her hand had been in his at all. He pulled his hand back quickly. He felt a knot develop in his stomach. _What was I doing? Why was I holding her hand? That is not appropriate behavior._ "Ok. Well I'll let you get back to your book. I'm here if you decide to talk though." With that, he leaned back in the seat and looked out the window, effectively ending the conversation.

Emily felt confused. That was not a normal interaction between them. It seemed tenser somehow. She didn't know why. They'd truly become friends, as much as superior and subordinate could in their line of work. So why the tension? It wasn't the same as the tension that had been there when she'd first joined the team, either. It was different. Emily shrugged it off. "Thanks…" She finally said before turning her attention back to her book.

Rossi had looked up when Hotch had stood. He'd observed the younger man head over to Emily. He'd seen him unconsciously reach out his hand and take Emily's. He'd seen the surprise written on the younger man's face when he'd realized he'd done it. _Interesting._ Rossi thought as he turned to the last page in his notebook. _Possible H/E interest?_ He scribbled down the thought under the heading _Team_. _I wonder…_


	5. Chapter 5

"Hotch, you wanted to see me?" Emily asked, knocking on her boss's open door. She'd arrived at work to find a post-it note stuck to her computer screen requesting that she stop by Hotch's office first thing.

"Yes. Come in Emily. Take a seat."

Friendly as Hotch seemed, Emily couldn't help but feel like she'd been called to the principal's office. She hated that feeling. It was the same one she got whenever her mother summoned her. The stern voice calling out her name, sounding the same whether she was about to receive either punishment or praise. She hated those brief moments before she knew if she was in trouble or not. She was fairly certain that she hadn't done anything wrong this morning, but still she found herself squirming in her seat before Hotch spoke again.

"How are you feeling?" Hotch asked, looking up and closing the file he'd been looking at.

"Fine, Hotch." Emily replied, relaxing a little. _Dummy…you just got to work! You haven't had time to do anything wrong yet! Of course he just wanted to check on you!_

"The ribs hurt a lot?" Hotch inquired. He knew firsthand how much bruised ribs could hurt.

"Eh…they're ok as long as I don't breathe too deep or cough or laugh too much. Emily replied. She'd suffered worse pain. She didn't want Hotch to think her physically unable to do her job.

"Yeah. You definitely feel the pain way more than you think you're going to. I hate having bruised ribs. If you want to take a few days…"

"No." Emily cut him off. "I'm fine. Really. Besides, I have a ton of paperwork to get done."

Hotch nodded. "Ok." He looked down at the closed folder on his desk while trying to remember what else he'd meant to say to Emily. He knew there was something else.

"How are you doing Hotch?" Emily asked. She knew how much Hotch hated when his agents got hurt. They all hated when any team member was in danger or injured, but Emily knew that Hotch felt a responsibility as team leader that the rest of the team didn't.

Hotch was surprised. He wasn't the one who'd been taken hostage and beaten. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"You know it's not your fault any more than it was Reid's. Things happen. You and Rossi did an excellent job and got us out safely."

Hotch hadn't thought that he was that easily readable. He should have known better. Emily was, after all, an exceedingly skilled profiler. Emily's words reassured him in a way that he didn't even know he'd needed to be reassured. "Thank you." The mention of Reid's name had also reminded Hotch of what else he'd wanted to say. "And thank you for talking to Reid yesterday." I think it helped him a lot for you to tell him it wasn't his fault."

Emily nodded. I knew he'd blame himself when he shouldn't and I don't want anything to make him fall back into bad habits."

Hotch nodded in agreement. "Yes. But still, thank you. And you know you should shoulder no guilt either. Jessica was lost before you even got to the compound. She made her own decisions."

"But Hotch, she was a kid. Sixteen-years-old. That's it. Her decisions were influenced by Cyrus, but maybe she could have…"

"Emily we can't play that game. The 'maybe' or 'what if' game. What happened happened and it wasn't your fault. You did an excellent job too."

Emily knew Hotch was right, just like Morgan had been the day before. For some reason hearing it from Hotch made her believe it more. It didn't relieve her guilt completely, but it still comforted her to hear. "Thanks Hotch."

Hotch smiled one of his rare half-smiles at Emily. Emily found herself even more comforted by the smile than she had been by Hotch's words. It felt good to have Hotch smile at her. She smiled back unconsciously.

Hotch found himself not wanting to go back to his file. He wanted to talk to Emily more. He racked his brain for a non-work-related subject to talk about. "So Emily, where was your favorite place to live growing up?"

Emily was surprised. _Where did that come from? Oh well…_ "Um…I don't really know. At the time I kinda resented moving around so much, but maybe Egypt. There's something about the history there. It's just so rich. I loved reading the ancient Egyptian myths and whatnot. And just that part of history fascinated me, so actually getting to see the great Pyramid at Giza and the tombs in Luxor…I loved that."

Hotch leaned forward, getting more into the conversation. "The ancient Egyptians were fascinating. I've always wanted to go to the Valley of the Kings…especially KV 54."

"Well who can resist the mystery of Tutankhamen?" Emily said smiling. "We used to stop through London a lot on trips from Egypt to the States, and whenever we stayed for a day or two I made my mom, or one of her staff at least, take me to the British Museum just so I could see their Egypt exhibit. They have the best mummies on display and the most fascinating artifacts."

"Oh yes! I love the British Museum! They really know how to put together an exhibit! And you're right…their Egypt exhibit is spectacular."

_Is Hotch genuinely smiling? No half-smile, but a full smile? Wow!_ _He's a really handsome guy when he smiles!_ Emily's eyes grew wide as she realized what she'd thought. _No. He's not handsome. Ok, well he is, but he's your boss. So he can't be. Get a grip._ "I had no idea you liked Egyptology so much."

"Oh yeah. In college for my pre-law seminar class I wrote my thesis on the laws of ancient Egypt as they could be inferred from funerary texts. It was really pretty fascinating." _Wow, Emily is really fun to talk to. I should try this whole 'no shop talk' thing more often._

"Sounds it." Emily replied, eagerly waiting for Hotch to continue.

Rossi was walking back to his office from the break room when he stopped at the sound of lively conversation coming from Hotch's office. He glanced in through the window and was mildly surprised to find Emily and Hotch involved in an animated conversation. Hotch was actually smiling a full smile. Rossi grinned to himself. _Maybe I need to cross out the question mark from that note I made yesterday._

"Hey man, what's going on in there?" Morgan asked, he too having heard the jovial sounds coming from Hotch's office.

"From the sounds of it, a discussion about Ancient Egypt." Rossi replied.

Morgan glanced in the window too. "Emily and Hotch? Huh…go figure. I didn't know Hotch liked Ancient Egypt."

"Neither did I." Rossi mused. _Then again, I doubt that any of us really know too much about Hotch. The real Aaron Hotchner. The one that exists outside of work._


	6. Chapter 6

Hotch noticed Rossi and Morgan lingering outside his office and glanced down at his watch. "Wow. It's ten thirty."

"Really? Wow. I should really start that paperwork." Emily said, checking her own watch for confirmation. _Did I really just spend over an hour talking to Hotch about Egypt? Time flew by!_

Hotch nodded, but he couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed and his smile disappeared. He'd really enjoyed talking to Emily. It had been a much more enjoyable start to the day than he normally had. His reaction to her getting up to leave gave him pause. _I can't…no way…_He shook his head and pushed his thoughts aside. "Yeah. I should get back to that file and I have my fair share of paperwork too."

_Is Hotch disappointed that I'm leaving or am I imagining things?_ Emily thought. She'd seen a flash of something sweep across his face, but she couldn't quite place it._ No. He wouldn't be. He's probably just as unhappy to get back to paperwork as I am._ Emily smiled at Hotch then left the office, stopping briefly to greet her two colleagues before heading to her desk. As she sat down she glanced back towards Hotch's office and saw Rossi go in as Morgan turned and headed in her direction. She briefly found herself thinking, _I wish I could see Hotch._ She shook it off.

"Hey there." Morgan greeted her with a grin. "So you seemed to be having fun with Hotch." He teased. He couldn't help it. If there was the remotest possibility that Emily liked Hotch, he had to tease her.

Emily rolled her eyes. "He's not bad to talk to, you know."

"I know that! I just didn't know you knew that. Seemed like you were really enjoying it. You had a big smile in that office."

"Shut up." Emily gave Morgan a playful shove. "You're crazy if you think I like Hotch. I mean I like Hotch, but as my boss and colleague and friend. That's it."

"Me thinks the lady doth protest too much." Morgan couldn't help himself. He was really enjoying teasing Emily.

"Don't you have work to do?" Emily asked pointedly.

"Yep. But it's not nearly as fun as tormenting you." Morgan replied, still grinning.

"Don't you have some sort of a philosophy about girls with guns? Like not pissing them off?" She asked.

"I believe I shouldn't date them." Morgan said. "Although not pissing them off is generally a good rule too." He took the hint. "Ok, ok. I'll leave you to your work." _Is she really crushing on Hotch?_ Morgan would have sworn he'd caught a faint glimmer of a blush on Emily's cheeks during his teasing. _Nah…quit imagining things Morgan._ He headed to his own desk and sat down.

Rossi sat down across from Hotch. "Good morning?"

"So far." Hotch replied opening his file.

"It seemed like you were having a nice conversation with Emily." Rossi said casually.

Hotch glanced at his colleague suspiciously. _Is he profiling me?_ "It was a very pleasant conversation." _One I didn't want to end. _

Rossi was watching Hotch, looking for any sign as to what the young man was thinking. He had his suspicions, but Hotch wasn't giving him any confirmation one way or the other.

"Can I help you with something this morning Dave?" Hotch asked.

"No. I just wanted to see how you're doing this morning." Rossi replied.

"I'm fine." Hotch said. He knew he was being short with Dave. He didn't mean it, but he kind of wanted to just be alone, to revel in the warmth he felt after his conversation with Emily. It really had been a good morning.

Rossi took the hint and got up to leave. At the doorway Rossi paused. "Emily looks better this morning. Bad bruising though." He said.

Hotch looked out of his window into the bullpen at the brunette. "I think she's feeling a little better too."

"You gonna keep checking in with her?"

"Yes. I think so." Hotch replied firmly.

_I wonder if he knows he's still staring at her?_ Rossi thought as he turned and headed down the hallway.


	7. Chapter 7

Hotch looked at his watch. 8:30 p.m. It was later than he thought. He looked through his window to the bullpen. No signs of life. _Guess I'm the last one here…again._ Hotch had found himself continuously staying late at work. It was hard going home to an empty house. He never felt so alone or missed Jack more than that moment when he came home and found no one. He didn't miss Haley so much as he missed having someone to hold on to at night, to kiss hello, to hug after a hard case. To avoid the emptiness, the loneliness, he stayed later at work and brought paperwork home.

Hotch's stomach grumbled in hunger and he sighed. "Guess I should get out of here." He mumbled to himself as he began packing his briefcase.

"Talking to yourself?"

Hotch jumped ever so slightly. He caught a flash of brown hair out of the corner of his eye. "Emily! You startled me! I thought everyone had left! What are you still doing here?" Hotch asked.

"Not talking to myself." Emily grinned. She saw Hotch squirm a little in embarrassment, and she decided to relent. "Paperwork. What else? I just was coming back from the bathroom and saw your light still on so wanted to check in."

Hotch frowned. _Emily shouldn't be working so late. She's still recovering._ "Give it a rest until tomorrow. Get some rest. You need it." Emily glanced out the door towards her desk. She was hungry. Maybe she could leave the rest 'til tomorrow. Her bruises were also distracting her from her work. "Probably not a bad idea."

Hotch regarded her thoughtfully. "You must be hungry. I was gonna grab some Chinese food. Care to join me?"

Emily hesitated. _Is he…? No! Of course not! He's your boss. And he's Hotch! He's just worried about you!_ "Sounds good. Just let me pack up."

"Sure." Hotch said, turning back and shoving the last file into his briefcase. He grabbed his coat and headed out to the bullpen. He found himself happy at the prospect of dinner with Emily. _It makes sense. You still haven't adjusted to eating alone after so many years of marriage. You just want the company._ He rationalized. He watched Emily organize her files and gather her belongings. He noticed her flinch in pain when she bent over to grab her purse. He was struck by the grace with which she moved despite the pain she must be feeling. He felt a pang of guilt, reminded that it was his inability to protect her, to completely protect his team that was the reason she was currently in pain.

"Ready." Emily said, walking up to Hotch.

"Ok. Let's go." He replied heading to the elevators.

Emily had been aware of Hotch watching her. _Is he profiling me? Is he looking for signs of pain? I don't want him to see pain and want me to ride a desk for a while._

Despite the ease of the conversation they'd had that morning, Emily found herself at a loss of what to say in the elevator. At the parking garage, Emily headed immediately for her car, but Hotch stopped her.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked.

Emily thought for a second. "Eddie Chang's is pretty good and it's not too far away."

"Sounds good. Meet you there." Hotch found himself reluctant to leave Emily's company, but he forced himself to get into his car. _Relax Aaron. Nothing's going to happen to her. _It could only have been concern for her that prompted his reluctance. He was being irrational.

Hotch put his car in drive and pulled out of the parking garage. Emily followed. As she did so, she thought about the tall brunette in the car front of her. Their conversation this morning had been really nice. She'd relaxed and the talk about Egypt had made her forget the pain in her ribs. Hotch had seemed so happy during their conversation, in a way that Emily hadn't seen since she'd joined the team. It had been refreshing to see that side of Hotch. The happy, non-work Hotch. And maybe, just maybe, she'd get to see more of _that_ Hotch at dinner. She found herself looking forward to it.


	8. Chapter 8

"And I'll take the chicken and broccoli with brown rice. And…Emily you want to split some dumplings or something to stat?" Hotch asked.

"Sure. How about the veggie dumplings?" Emily replied.

Hotch turned back to the waiter. 'And we'll split some vegetable dumplings, too."

"Ok. So that's an order of the moo shoo pork with white rice, the chicken and broccoli with brown rice, and the vegetable dumplings." The waiter read off of his order pad.

"Yes." Hotch confirmed, handing the young man the menus. Once the waiter had gone, Hotch returned his attention to Emily. "Vegetable dumplings, huh?"

"Yeah. They're really good here." She replied.

"I wouldn't know." Hotch admitted. "I've only had their pork dumplings. I guess I'm a bit of a carnivore."

"I'm very much an omnivore. Sometimes I find nothing as appetizing as a nice steak, other times it's a lovely vegetable pasta. One food I simply could not live without though is cheese. I just love it. And none of that Kraft stuff. I mean real cheese. Like a good French brie…" Emily sighed contentedly. "Oooh! And a nice glass of wine." She sighed again. "Wow. I'm really hungry." She smiled at Hotch. "What about you? What's the food you couldn't live without?"

Hotch thought for a second. "I'd have to say steak. Nothing beats a filet mignon that's so tender it just melts in your mouth. I'll agree with the nice glass of wine though. That's a welcome addition to almost any meal."

Emily nodded in complete agreement. She liked beer and there were meals that were definitely "beer meals," but wine was really more her thing.

"I bet you were one of those girls in college who guys would underestimate when you could actually drink them under the table." Hotch grinned at her.

Emily grinned back, partially at the truth of the statement, but partially because seeing Hotch smile made her want to as well. He had an infectious grin. "I could certainly hold my own when going drink for drink with a guy. Though I'm not sure that's something I should really be sharing with my boss come to think of it." She'd almost forgotten that that was what he was to her. The atmosphere was more like two friends…or even like a couple on a date…_No! Not a couple on a date. If we were a couple on a date we'd be sitting here awkwardly trying to come up with a conversation topic. And besides: he's Hotch. He's your boss._

"Emily, almost everyone drinks a lot in college. It's practically a requirement. Besides, we're not at work. Out here I'm not your boss. I'm just your friend."

"Even you?" Emily asked.

Hotch was confused. _Even I'm her friend? What?_ "Even me what?"

"Did you drink a lot in college?"

Hotch smiled and raised an eyebrow mischievously. "Well I had my phases…"

Emily leaned forward. She was trying to imagine a young, wild Hotch. It wasn't working. She couldn't see the man losing control. She couldn't imagine what he'd be like drunk, really drunk. She kinda wanted to find out. "And…tell me about those phases Hotch. Come on!" Emily prompted.

Hotch's grin widened. He could tell that Emily was curious, and for some reason he really liked that she was curious about him. "Ah, well…I guess I could tell you a few stories." Emily motioned impatiently for him to continue as he paused to take a sip of his drink. "Well…alright, freshman year of college, my roommate and I would smuggle beer into our dorm all the time. We'd sit around, talk, and drink. Not too heavy most nights, but it built us up a nice tolerance. Anyway, one night we headed out to this local pool hall with some buddies of ours, and we thought we were hotshots, so this girl challenged us to a game of pool against her and her friend and we figured, sure, why not, we could beat them. She sees how cocky we are and ups the ante a little. For every ball they sink, we have to take a shot, and vice versa. We thought we could handle our alcohol because we drank regularly and besides we were guys so naturally we had a higher alcohol tolerance than this girl and her friend. Next thing we know, we're getting our asses kicked and I'm so drunk I keep missing the cue ball. Anyway, long story short: Rock and I woke up the next morning with killer hangovers, laying in the park, and apparently we'd drawn on each other with permanent marker. I had 'Pink Floyd Rocks' written across my chest for the better part of two weeks. Not my finest hour by any means."

Emily was laughing. She couldn't help it. The image of a young Hotch stumbling around drunk with "Pink Floyd Rocks" written across his chest was just too much for her.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. I bet there are some embarrassing alcohol related stories from your college years." Hotch said, wiggling an eyebrow at Emily.

"Ok…ok…sorry…" She tried to compose herself and failed miserably, breaking into another fit of laughter. "Ok, but seriously…Rock?" She asked.

"His name was John, but he hated it because it was too plain. He was from Boulder, Colorado, but didn't think that that made a good name, so we called him Rock instead. I dunno. It seemed brilliant at the time." Hotch tried to explain, a smile plastered on his face. He was having fun talking to Emily. Telling her things that no one else on the team knew. _This is gonna get me in trouble!_ He thought to himself, but he was enjoying himself too much to care.

"Ok. Rock. Sure. Why not? I'm glad your rational thinking seems to have improved with age though Hotch."

Hotch laughed. "Yeah. I should hope so. I've also learned not to underestimate women since then. Especially women who carry guns." He winked at Emily. _Did I just wink? What are you doing Aaron?_

Emily shot Hotch a puzzled look, not believing her eyes. _Did Hotch just wink at me? Is he flirting?_ Before Emily could ponder the matter further the waiter came out with the food.


	9. Chapter 9

The meal brought on more conversations about food. The potential flirting forgotten, Emily turned to trying to convince Hotch that there were some absolutely delicious vegetarian dishes.

"Well…I have to admit that the vegetable dumplings were good. Not enough meat, but they were good none the less." Hotch grinned.

"I went through a vegetarian phase when I was about thirteen, and my mom would make me this superb Moroccan couscous dish with a vegetable curry. I bet you'd like it. You'd probably even forget there wasn't meat in it." Emily said.

"Yeah, sure. If you added big chunks of chicken to it."

Emily laughed. "I can see I'm not going to win this argument easily. I'll just have to cook a vegetarian meal for you some time."

"Ha. Sounds good. But not too many vegetables. Ok? And some steak?" Hotch had a mischievous look on his face.

Emily laughed again. "Steak isn't a vegetable Hotch. I'm serious. Hmmm…Ok, tomorrow's Friday, right? Come over tomorrow for a late dinner. I promise you'll be pleasantly surprised."

Hotch looked skeptical. "Ok. Even if just so that I can reaffirm my belief that nothing beats a meal with meat in it."

Emily smiled widely. "Oh, don't worry. I'll change your mind."

The meal went slowly, as they spent far more time talking than they did eating. It was past eleven when they finally left the restaurant. Emily smiled broadly at Hotch as they stood outside of the restaurant. Hotch smiled back at her. He felt happy and relaxed. For once he'd managed to forget the fact that he was headed home to an empty house.

"Thanks again for dinner." Emily said.

"Well, you're cooking tomorrow night. The least I could do is pay tonight." Hotch replied. "What time did you say again for tomorrow?"

"Nine-ish ok with you? That's not too late, is it? I just want to make sure I have enough time to go shopping for any ingredients I need."

"No, yeah. That's fine…Ok, well I'll see you tomorrow morning. Have a good night." Hotch smiled and waved as he turned and headed to his car.

"You too." Emily called after him. She watched him get into his car and waved as he drove away. She went to her car and sat down, flinching at the stab of pain in her ribs. She realized that she hadn't noticed her pain all night. _Huh. Weird._ She shrugged then started the engine and started home. She replayed dinner in her mind as she drove. She couldn't help but smile. It'd really been a fun time: such a nice break after filling out paperwork all day. And Hotch's company had been so pleasant. She pulled up to her house and got out, cringing again at the pain. She unlocked her door, hit the lights, and looked around. _Shit! This place is a mess!_ _I can't have Hotch come over here and see this!_ Emily froze. _Hotch is coming over here tomorrow. For dinner. That I'm cooking. Did I ask Hotch out on a date????_ Emily ran through the conversation again. _Oh shit! Wait, no, calm down. Hotch would know better. He wouldn't think it was a date. He'll think of it as a dinner between friends, between colleagues._ Emily sighed. _It'll be ok._ She looked around her apartment again. _Or not…I should do some cleaning now._ She sighed again as she began to tidy, picking up the files that were strewn across the table, the week's worth of mail and newspapers that she'd dumped by the front door, the sweaters and jackets that were carelessly tossed on random items of furniture. _I need to come up with a recipe!_ She realized.

She pulled out her recipe box where she kept all the recipes she'd accumulated over the years on index cards and sat down at the dining room table to sort through them. She pulled out the index cards in the "vegetarian" section and began looking through them. _Parmesan roasted potatoes? Delicious, but they go really well with a meat dish…hmmm…grilled goat cheese, tomato and basil sandwiches on baguette? I don't know if he'd qualify that as a meal…pasta with peas in a creamy parmesan sauce? Or I could do the tarragon pasta sauce…that's good! Or…._Emily kept flipping. One word caught her eye and made her mouth start to water despite the fact that she was still full from dinner. _Fondue!! A delicious cheese fondue, with…let's see…cauliflower, baguette, and apples to dip in it. And then a nice salad…ooh and I have to do chocolate fondue for dessert!_ Emily grinned to herself, knowing that she at least was certainly going to enjoy tomorrow's dinner. She started making a shopping list. At the very bottom of the list she wrote "a nice bottle of wine." _Nothing tops off the perfect meal like the perfect bottle._ Emily yawned and checked the digital readout on the oven. 1 a.m. She was going to regret staying up that late in the morning. She sleepily dragged herself upstairs to bed.


	10. Chapter 10

"Prentiss!" Morgan called to her. He and Garcia had been eagerly discussing going to a dance club that evening. "You gotta come out with us tonight!"

Emily shook her head. "Sorry. I can't."

"Why not?" Garcia asked, pouting.

"Come on, don't be a party pooper." Morgan coaxed.

"Sorry." She debated whether to tell them that she was having dinner with Hotch. _They'll probably read too much into it._ "I'm tired. Not enough sleep last night."

"Humph." Garcia said, continuing to pout.

JJ entered the bullpen, carrying a cup of coffee.

"Jayj!" Garcia called out. JJ came over to her group of friends. "You up for some dancing tonight?"

JJ smiled. "Sure! Where are we going?"

"That new club that opened up, near the Target." Morgan replied.

"Awesome. Sounds good." JJ said happily.

"It'd be even better if Emily wasn't being such a stick in the mud and not coming out with us." Morgan looked pointedly at Emily who rolled her eyes.

"What? You're not coming?" JJ asked incredulously. "You have to come. Come on!"

"Come where?" Asked Hotch as he walked through the bullpen.

Rossi, who'd been sitting at his desk doing paperwork and generally tuning out the younger agents looked up upon hearing his friend's voice. He left his office and went out the bullpen.

Morgan looked up too. "Umm…Just this club we're gonna check out tonight. You wanna come, man?"

"Sorry. I have other plans." He said over his shoulder as he continued to head to his office.

"Really?" Morgan called after him. "Good for you man! About time you got back on the horse."

Emily, who'd been taking a swig of her water bottle choked. _Back on the horse? No. Cause Hotch isn't going on a date. He's just coming over for dinner._ _Of course they don't know any of that._

Rossi raised an eyebrow at Emily's reaction, but quickly went to her side. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Emily coughed and clutched her side as a pang of pain shot through her ribs. "Yeah I just choked."

"Drink much?" Morgan teased.

Emily sent him a friendly glare. Rossi smiled. The team really did interact well. They were a family and they teased each other like they were siblings.

"You sure you're ok?" Hotch asked. Upon hearing Emily start coughing he'd turned around and headed back to where his agents were sitting, and he hadn't missed Emily's cringe of pain.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Emily smiled at Hotch.

Rossi raised his eyebrow again but said nothing. Hotch, satisfied that Emily was ok, despite the pain, Hotch headed back to his office. Rossi followed, leaving the younger agents to their teasing.

"So what are your plans tonight?" Rossi asked inquisitively, taking a seat across from Hotch.

"Oh, nothing special. Just dinner." Hotch replied. He looked at his friend who was grinning at him. "What?"

"Dinner with anyone in particular?" Rossi asked, grinning even wider.

_He knows. How could he possibly know?_ Hotch sighed. "Who do you think I'm dining with this evening, Dave?"

"Emily Prentiss." Rossi said simply.

"How did…" Hotch shook his head. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. It's really not a big deal. We're just two colleagues having dinner." Hotch wasn't completely sure of this fact. He wasn't even completely sure that that was all he wanted tonight to be. He was fairly sure, however, that Emily did not ask him to dinner with the intention of asking him on a date.

Rossi just smiled at Hotch.

"I mean it Dave." Hotch reaffirmed.

Rossi nodded. "I'm sure it is. Where are you two going tonight?"

Hotch looked down at his paperwork. He knew how this would sound and he didn't think that he could take the smug look he knew that Dave was going to give him. He cleared his throat. "Actually, we're going to her place." He said. "She's cooking."

Rossi almost laughed. How could Hotch think that that wasn't a date? Whether or not the invite originally had been innocent or not, there was no way that a private dinner at Emily's house wasn't going to end up as a date. "I see." Was all he said.

Hotch looked up and immediately wished he hadn't. The smug look he'd expected was evident on the older man's face.

"What?" Hotch asked, knowing full well what Rossi was thinking.

"Nothing. I was just wishing that my second wife had offered to cook for me more regularly. And that my third wife was any good at cooking."

Hotch let out a short laugh.

"You know, she compliments you well." Rossi said offhandedly.

The comment caught Hotch off guard. "What?"

"The two of you are similar in some respects, but where you differ, you complement each other well. And you seem to have similar interests." Rossi said, remembering the conversation he'd overheard the day before.

"It's not a date." Hotch said definitively.

"I didn't say that it was." Rossi replied.

Hotch sighed.

"Can I ask you something?" Rossi asked.

Hotch looked at his friend thoughtfully. He shrugged. "Yeah. Sure. Go ahead."

"Do you want it to be a date?" Rossi studied Hotch's face, trying to gauge just what the man was thinking.

Hotch thought for a minute. He wasn't sure. A couple of days ago he would have said definitely not…but now? "I don't know. I mean…no. I can't. She works for me. I'm her boss. You know the agency's policy just as well as I do."

"Yes. I do. But I also spent many of my early years ignoring that policy, and they still hired me back."

Hotch laughed. He'd heard rumors about Rossi's early days at the BAU.

"Let me give you some advice. I've seen you with her. You're happy. You have to do what makes you happy, Aaron. Especially when you do a job like ours. Don't get too caught up in the rules." Rossi said. With that, Rossi stood and left the office. At the door, he stuck his head back into the room. "Oh, and Aaron?"

"Yes?" Hotch said, looking up.

"Have fun tonight." Rossi grinned, and left the agent to his thoughts.


	11. Chapter 11

"Earth to Emily." Morgan was waving his hand in front of her face.

She shook her head. "Huh?"

JJ pulled a chair up right next to her. "Ok, so why were you staring at Hotch?" She asked her friend in a low voice.

"I wasn't." Emily said defensively. She had been, but she wasn't about to admit it. And besides, she didn't know why she was staring at him. She'd watched him and Rossi go into his office, and she'd wondered what they were talking about, and before she knew it she'd been staring.

"Umm…Yeah you were." JJ replied. "And why won't you come out with us tonight?"

"I told you. I'm tired." Emily repeated for about the tenth time.

"Emily…you cannot be too tired to go out with us. We'll give you energy. And I'll buy you a beer."

Emily shook her head.

"Ok. Two beers. No, three."

Emily shook her head again.

"I'll buy you your own pitcher." JJ continued trying to tempt Emily to come out with them.

Emily laughed. "Sorry JJ. Not even bribery is going to work tonight."

JJ gave her friend a skeptical look. Something was off. There's no way that Emily would turn down a free pitcher of beer and a night out with her friends just because she was tired. She followed Emily's eyes and realized that she was looking towards Hotch's office again. _Wait…she won't come out, and he can't because he has plans?_ JJ's eyes widened.

She stood up abruptly and tugged on Emily's arm, pulling her up with her. Pain shot through Emily's ribs. "Ow JJ! What the hell??"

"Sorry. But we need some girl talk. Now!" JJ started dragging Emily to the bathroom. Leaving Garcia and Morgan. They were both amused and confused by what had just happened.

"Should I go spy?" Garcia asked.

"Nah. We'll figure it out soon enough. Let's you and I continue making plans for tonight sexy lady." Morgan replied with a wink.

"JJ I can walk myself." Emily said, as being dragged by the arm was both painful and uncomfortable.

JJ loosened her grip a little but didn't let go until they reached the bathroom. JJ checked the stalls, and when she was satisfied that they were alone, she turned her attention to Emily. "You're going on a date with Hotch!" She accused.

"What? No! Don't be ridiculous!" Emily said, trying to hide the blush she felt starting in her cheeks.

"You're too tired to go out with us on the same night that Hotch just happens to have plans. And on top of that you were staring at him." JJ put her hand on her hips and looked expectantly at Emily.

Emily sighed at the determined look on JJ's face. She wasn't going to get out of this without giving her some piece of information. "Ok. You're right. We're having dinner tonight. But it's not a date. JJ, I'm serious! It's not."

JJ looked skeptical. "Ok…so what kind of a dinner is it if it's not a date?"

"I don't know. It's just a dinner. We went out for dinner last night and we started talking about food and he told me that he doesn't eat meals without meat in them, and I was trying to convince him that there were really good vegetarian meals, and that I'd cook for him tonight to prove it."

JJ's eyes grew even wider. "You went on a date last night too?"

"No! No! It wasn't a date. It was just dinner after work. We both worked late and were both hungry so we decided to eat at the same place." Emily defended herself.

"Who paid?" JJ asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Hotch…but that was because I'm cooking tonight and he thought it was only fair." Emily replied.

"Sweetie…that's a date. And tonight is a date. You don't cook for a guy unless it's a date." JJ stated firmly.

Emily rolled her eyes. "JJ…It's not. I mean…It's Hotch! My boss! Our boss! Even if I wanted it to be a date it couldn't be a date."

JJ waved that comment away. "Of course it could be a date. You and Hotch would be cute together. Ignore the FBI rules. Other people do. Why shouldn't you if that's what you want?"

Emily shook her head. "I don't know if that's what I want."

"What are you cooking?" JJ asked.

"What?" Emily was surprised by the change in conversation.

"For dinner tonight. What are you cooking?" JJ repeated.

"Oh. I thought I'd make some cheese fondue with a salad followed by chocolate fondue for dessert." Emily told her.

"Yum. And wow. You didn't think that was a date? Come on! Chocolate fondue?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "I just thought that if anything would convince me that you could have a good meal without meat, it'd be cheese and chocolate!" She said truthfully.

"Yeah…but chocolate fondue! Think of the fun you could have." JJ raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Emily blushed. "Oh crap." She was thinking about it now. The prospect really wasn't that bad. Actually, she was finding it kind of appealing.

"Ok, hun, let's look at it like this: you're cooking, right?" JJ said.

Emily nodded.

"Did you buy a bottle of wine to go with dinner?" JJ asked.

"Well no, but I will when I go shopping after work." Emily replied.

"And did you shave your legs?"

"Well, yeah. But come on! I'm wearing a skirt today!" Emily tried to defend herself again.

"Sweetie, it's a date. Or at least, you want it to be a date. Oooh! This is so exciting!" JJ squealed.

Emily shook her head. "No. It's not. It's terrifying. Are you kidding me? I'm potentially going on a date with Hotch tonight? That's…I mean…ok he's really handsome. And when he smiles…I mean wow. But…a date? I don't know if I can do this Jayj."

"Of course you can. And Hotch smiles? When? I almost never see him smile!"

"Well we were laughing a lot at dinner last night so he was smiling. And then yesterday we had a conversation about ancient Egypt that had him smiling a lot…"

"So basically he smiles around you." JJ interrupted. "Sounds to me like you like each other. Emily, do me a favor. Don't stress about tonight. Just go shopping, cook the food, serve dinner, relax, and see where the night takes you. If somehow I'm wrong and it really is just dinner between friends, then you'll just have a pleasant dinner. If I'm right, and it's a date and you two like each other, then you never know where the evening may lead. Just try to relax and enjoy yourself. Ok?"

Emily looked at her friend and sighed. She knew that JJ was at least half right. Somehow, when she wasn't looking, she'd started to fall for Hotch. She liked him. He was fun to be around. He was smart. He was funny. He understood the demands of her job. He was perfect. "Ok. I'll try to relax."

"Just go with the flow." JJ said.

"Right. Going with the flow." Emily started to leave the bathroom.

"Oh. And one more thing." JJ stopped her.

"Yes?" Emily asked, paused in the doorway.

"Call afterwards. I want to know all the details." JJ grinned.

Emily groaned. "Fine." She said as she headed down the hallway.


	12. Chapter 12

Emily realized she was nervous. She was never nervous. Not like this. _So why am I nervous over a dinner that isn't really technically a date?_ Emily sighed. _Because I want it to be a date._ Emily ran through her mental checklist again. _Is the table set? Heck. Baguette cut and placed in nice bowl you picked up in Egypt? Check. Cauliflower and apples cut and on the table? Check. Salad ready with Masai salad tongs? Check. Candles? Check. Wine? Check. Fondue? Check. _

The doorbell rand and Emily felt the knots in the pit of her stomach tighten. _Oh God! Okay! Breathe Emily!_ She went to the door and checked to see it was Hotch. If her line of work had taught her anything it was that she should never be too careful. It was. She took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing!_ She unlocked the door and pulled it open.

Hotch's breath caught in his throat. She looked gorgeous. She wore nice pants and a green top that clung to her in all the right places. She had makeup on too, but just enough, not overdone.

"Hi. Come on in." Emily said with a smile.

Hotch realized that he hadn't said anything yet. "Hi. Sorry. Thanks." He grinned back at her as he stepped into her house. He was surprised to find that he felt nervous. This was nothing like the last time he'd been here and he was thankful for that. "Oh, here. I didn't know what we were having, but I figured that a bottle of wine would probably still be a nice addition." Hotch handed her the gift.

Emily examined the label. "South African, nice! From Stellenbosch! They make excellent wines! Thank you!" _Well he certainly knows his wine!_

Hotch grinned wider. He was glad that his wine selection had met with her approval.

"Come in. Have a seat." Emily said, leading him into the dining room. "Everything's all set. Let me just get a bottle opener and the main course and we can start." She slipped into the kitchen.

Hotch took in the table spread. The table was elegantly set with nice China, what appeared to be sterling silver silverware, and fondue forks. _Aha. Fondue._ None the less, amid the properly set table, Hotch couldn't help but notice hints of Emily's international roots. "I love your salad tongs." He called out, admiring the carved elephant heads at the top of them.

"Thanks. They're Masai. My mom got them for me after a business trip to Nairobi." Emily replied reemerging with the bottle opener.

"Here. Let me get that." Hotch said taking both the bottle opener and the wine from Emily.

Emily smiled and returned to the kitchen to fetch the fondue pot that had been staying warm on the stove. "Tada." She said reappearing. "Traditional cheese fondue. A vegetarian meal for your enjoyment." She said placing the pot over the sterno to keep it warm.

"Sounds good. Where's the meat to go with it?" Hotch winked.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Shhh….dinner is served."

Hotch poured Emily some wine before pouring his own glass and taking a seat.

Emily took some bread and put it on her plate before handing the bowl to Hotch. The bowl caught Hotch's eye. "Hieroglyphics and Arabic writing?"

Emily grinned. "It's from Luxor. I thought maybe, given our conversation the other day, that you'd appreciate it."

Hotch examined it further. Ancient Egyptian Gods were depicted in between what appeared to be their names written out in the two alphabets. "It's gorgeous!"

"Thanks." Emily replied, genuinely pleased at his reaction. His face had lit up.

"You know during college I knew the whole hieroglyphic alphabet." Hotch said as he dipped a piece of baguette into the cheese, before setting it on his plate to cool a little.

"My best friend and I, when we were like twelve used it as a code. Anything we didn't want intercepted by our parents we'd write out in hieroglyphics, though to be honest, I'm not sure my mother would have cared what was in the letters unless it somehow affected her public image." Emily rolled her eyes. _Way to go! Bring up your mother! 'Cause that's a fun subject!_

"I'm sure she cared…" Hotch started, but Emily raised a hand, cutting him off.

"Let's not waste the night discussing Ambassador Prentiss." She said.

Hotch nodded and put the first piece of baguette dipped in fondue in his mouth. "Oh my God this is delicious! This is quite possibly the best fondue I've ever had! Are you sure it's the traditional recipe?" Hotch was far from exaggerating.

"I'm sure. My secret is in the quality of the cheese. It's mouthwatering, right?" Emily grinned.

Hotch nodded enthusiastically as he took another bite. "Obviously you're going to have to educate me on fine cheese, because apparently I've been missing out."

"Please don't tell me you're a Kraft man!" Emily teased.

"No. No. No. I'm not that bad, although Jack seems to enjoy the Kraft American singles. I just don't explore very much past Cheddar, Monterey jack, and mozzarella."

"Oh my! Well I'll definitely have to fix that then. I mean there's good French Brie, and goat cheese, and Camembert, and Saint André, and Wensleydale, and Cheshire, Jarlsburg, and then there's all those blue cheeses and…there are just so many."

Hotch smiled at her enthusiasm as a little voice in his head said "Nice excuse to spend more time with her."


	13. Chapter 13

Emily was amazed to find, as the meal continued that the conversation flowed so freely. There was hardly a lull except to take a bite of food. Before they knew it, both the fondue pot and the bottle of wine were empty. "I actually have to do a bit of preparation for dessert, if you'll excuse me." She said, standing and taking the fondue pot to the kitchen to wash.

"Here, let me help." Hotch said, grabbing the almost empty salad bowl and following her into the kitchen.

"That's really not necessary." Emily said, taking the bowl from him.

"Well at least let me keep you company while you get dessert ready." Hotch insisted.

Emily smiled. "Sure." She began to wash out the fondue pot as Hotch leaned against the counter watching her. She could feel his eyes on her, and she began to feel self-conscious.

Hotch couldn't help but watch her. She was so graceful, even in such a simple task.

Emily moved to the stove and began preparing the chocolate fondue and she was acutely aware of Hotch inching closer to her. Soon he was standing right next to her looking over her shoulder at what she was doing. Emily glanced up at him, and realized exactly how close he was standing. She felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach. She bit her lip unconsciously, then realized she was doing it and shook her head, turning back to the fondue pot. She always bit her lip when she was nervous…or when she wanted to kiss somebody. _Dammit!_ She swallowed hard and glanced back at Hotch. He was just so….hot! There was no other way to describe him. She couldn't believe that she'd never noticed it before this week. He had chiseled good looks, dark eyes, a slight air of mystery that always seemed to add to the appeal for Emily. She found herself biting her lip again as she added some more chocolate to the fondue pot.

Hotch could practically feel her nervousness. If he was honest with himself, he was nervous too. His body was incredibly aware of how close he was to her. He needed to distract himself. "So chocolate fondue for dessert?"

"How'd you guess? Here I thought I was being stealthy!" Emily joked.

Hotch let out a soft laugh. Emily felt a tingle run up her spine. She tried to ignore it as she stirred the melted chocolate.

Hotch smiled. _I'm the thing that's making her nervous._ He liked that. It gave him…hope.

Emily glanced at Hotch again, quickly. He was smiling. God his smile was gorgeous! _I shouldn't have looked!_ Again she turned back to the chocolate, trying to ignore her hormones. She tensed as she was aware of Hotch inching closer to her. She looked up into his eyes and immediately regretted it. His eyes, so dark and mysterious, were glittering, reflecting an emotion that Emily couldn't quite place. She felt her body grow hotter as her eyes trailed down to Hotch's lips only inches away from hers. Her breathing became shallower as she thought about closing the gap between them. _He's your boss! You can't kiss your boss! Even if you want to!_ She forced herself to turn back to the fondue pot. She dipped a finger in without thinking, and brought the finger to her mouth, tasting the melted chocolate. It was delicious. She turned back to Hotch, still sucking the chocolate off of her finger.

Hotch grinned. _She has no idea how provocative she looks right now. I'd love to just pull that finger out of her mouth and kiss her!_ He felt his blood pumping harder. "Is it good?" He asked, his voice raspier than normal.

Emily nodded as her hand dropped to her side. "Yeah. It's ready to eat." She replied, gazing into Hotch's eyes.

The husky property in her voice was not lost on Hotch. _She feels this too! She wants this too!_ Hotch turned away. Much as he wanted her, he couldn't shake the feeling of propriety that reminded him that he was her superior and they worked together. When he turned back to face her, he had his hormones in check. "Need help carrying anything to the table?"

Emily sensed the change in him and she couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. She'd been pleased to realize that she'd been effecting him, making him all hot and bothered. The change in his voice had further excited her. The change back to normal brought her back too. "Ummm…yeah. Could you grab the fondue pot please? Sorry about sticking my finger in it, by the way. I wasn't thinking."

Hotch grinned as he felt himself grow momentarily hotter again at the memory of Emily's finger dangling sexily from her mouth. "It's not a problem." He said as he placed the fondue pot on the table.

Emily had a platter of strawberries, sliced banana, and marshmallows that she brought out. As soon as she had set it down on the table, before he even took a seat, Hotch snatched up a strawberry, dipped it in the melted chocolate and then put it straight into his mouth. Emily laughed at his eagerness and followed suit. She didn't' manage the transfer from pot to mouth as quite as quickly as Hotch had, and she dripped chocolate both on the table and her face. She reached for a napkin in embarrassment, but Hotch was faster than her again. Before she knew what was happening, Hotch had spun her in his arms and leaned down to kiss the chocolate off of the side of her mouth.

She'd been so sexy, smiling with the slight hint of red flushing her cheeks in embarrassment, that he hadn't been able to resist any longer. Screw being her boss. He loved tasting the chocolate on her soft skin. He loved it even more the next second when her hungry lips met his.

Emily's body had responded before she could think. Her lips clearly knew what they wanted: Hotch. _And man can he kiss!_ Emily began to melt further into his arms as her lips continued their passionate embrace with his. She felt his strong, muscular arms tighten around her. _Emily what are you doing? This is your superior that you're kissing!_ Her logical brain's screams cut through the heat of the moment and she pulled back, out of breath.

Hotch realized immediately that he'd been out of line. He saw the surprise in Emily's face and he immediately felt guilty. _She's part of your team. You're supposed to protect her, not take advantage of her! You saw that she wanted you, but that didn't mean she wanted you right now and you didn't even give her a choice!_

Emily stood there in a state of shock. Her brain was refusing to function despite her best efforts to the contrary. She felt torn. The kiss had been incredible, mind-blowing…life-altering even…and there-in lay the problem. A relationship with Hotch could alter her life in ways both good and bad. She could lose her job over this. On the other hand, getting involved with Hotch meant getting involved with a guy who understood her job and the strains it put on her life.

"We should eat the fondue before the sterno burns out and the chocolate hardens." Hotch broke the awkward silence.

Hotch's voice seemed to kick-start Emily's brain. "Yeah. You're right." She replied, taking a seat, but not making eye contact.

Hotch frowned to himself. He'd screwed up. He'd pushed her too far too fast. He'd pushed her to a place he wasn't sure he was ready to go. He felt a need to make it right, to correct his error in judgment somehow. He wracked his brain for something to say to kill the strained silence that had descended upon them. "The chocolate fondue is as mouthwatering as the cheese fondue was." Hotch complemented her.

Emily smiled and thanked him all without looking up or making eye contact. Hotch sighed. "Did you hear about the new pyramid they discovered just south of Cairo?" Hotch tried another tactic to get the conversation flowing, to get back the dynamic they'd had before he'd stupidly kissed her. It was a topic that had started them really talking to begin with, so he was hopeful.

To Hotch's relief, Emily glanced up, interest written in her face. "No. Where exactly? A full pyramid? Why wasn't it discovered before?"

"In Saqqara. And no, it's not a full structure. Just about 16 feet of the base square structure remain standing." Hotch replied, remembering the news article he'd read.

Emily leaned forward, eager for more information, the tension that had been there before now all but forgotten. "How big do they think it was?"

"Something like three times what it is now. They haven't entered the burial chamber yet but they think soon." Hotch smiled. It was good to have the conversation back on track. Emily had visibly relaxed and her eyes had lit up.

"So whose pyramid was it? Is it older than the ones at Giza? No, probably not. What dynasty of rulers?" Emily bombarded him with questions.

"They said it most likely belongs to the queen mother of King Teti." Hotch said.

"Oh, so like the Sixth Dynasty." Emily stated matter-of-factly. "Waaay after the Great Pyramids."

"Yeah. I'd love to discover a new tomb or pyramid. Can you imagine how exhilarating it would be?" Hotch asked.

"It would definitely be incredible. Just to know you were the first person to see something, to enter a structure, for hundreds or thousands of years. It must be such a rush." Emily replied.

"I have to admit I went through an archaeology phase." Hotch admitted.

"Spurred on by the Indiana Jones movies?" Emily asked with a raised eyebrow. She could picture a little Hotch running around with a whip trying to swing from branches with it while he searched for new discoveries. The image made her smile.

"The first one came out sometime during that phase, but didn't actually cause it. It certainly encouraged it though. I admit. I had an Indiana Jones hat. I mean come on, how could I resist?" He smiled back at her, happy that she was looking at him again and at ease enough to smile. _Maybe I didn't screw things up irreparably._

Emily gazed into Hotch's eyes across the table from her. They glinted in the candlelight, dark and kind. _God he's handsome!_ She remembered the kiss and looked down at her plate. She'd wanted it. She wanted him. She just didn't want the repercussions. What if the team dynamic was thrown off? What if their relationship somehow jeopardized the rest of the team? She'd feel horrible. Besides, he might not even want a relationship with her. _Then why did he kiss me?_ She looked back at him, and found him watching her curiously. She knew exactly what he was doing. "Stop profiling me Hotch."

"Can you just shut it off?" He asked in response.

She shook her head. "No." She replied honestly. In fact she'd been about to profile him. "Guess it's just part of us."

Hotch nodded. "I don't know if that's necessarily a bad thing though."

Emily shrugged. "Me either, to be honest." She looked at the fondue pot. "Chocolate's almost gone."

Hotch leaned back and smiled. "Good, because I'm stuffed. I have to admit, this was a delicious vegetarian meal."

Emily grinned. "Can I quote you on that?"

Hotch laughed and shook his head. "I don't know about that."

"Oh, um Hotch? You should know that JJ knows that we're having dinner tonight."

Hotch looked at Emily in surprise. "Oh? Ok."

"Yeah. It's just she figured out when neither of us would go out dancing and then you said you had plans and she couldn't bribe me into it that we were doing something." Emily said.

"Well, that's fine. Dave also knows. He figured it out on his own as well. We do work with amazingly perceptive people." Hotch added.

"True." Emily nodded. "But JJ's a little delusional in her perceptions."

"Oh? Why?" Hotch regarded Emily in interest.

Emily swallowed hard. "She had this crazy idea that somehow tonight was really a date." Emily watched for Hotch's reaction.

Hotch smiled. _I wonder if she's been talking to Dave._ "It only matters what we think."

Emily looked at her hands. _Yeah. That would be the problem. I don't know what I think tonight is and the kiss didn't help matters._ She looked back at Hotch. "Ok…so what do you think tonight was?"

Hotch paused before answering. He wasn't sure. He'd really enjoyed himself. He found himself wanting to spend more and more time with the sexy brunette that he was sitting across from. He'd kissed her. Part of him, at least, wanted to kiss her again. "Dinner." He finally replied noncommittally.

Emily furrowed her eyebrows. That wasn't exactly the answer she was looking for. She stood up and began to clear the table. Hotch stood to help her.

"It's ok, I got it." She said, reaching to take the plate out of Hotch's hand, her fingers grazing his.

He didn't let go. "Let me help."

She didn't argue. The two cleared the table and washed the dishes together, but mostly in silence. Emily found herself lost in thought. What would it really mean to date Hotch? What did Hotch really think of tonight? She scrubbed the fondue pot, and went to put in the drying rack. She was so lost in thought that she was startled when Hotch's hand intercepted her own and he took the pot from her to dry it. Emily turned to look at him. _He's so close. When did he move so close to me?_ Now that she'd realized his proximity, she felt her body respond and her heart started to race. "Hotch…" She said quietly.

Hotch finished drying the bowl and turned to face her. "Where does this go?" He asked.

She pointed to the cupboard behind him. "Top shelf."

He put the pot away and turned back to the dish rack.

"Hotch…" She repeated, a little more urgently.

Hotch dropped the dish cloth on the counter and faced her. Hotch moved closer to her. _She's just so damn sexy!_ He shook his head, realizing that he was once again losing track of his hormones. He stepped back and glanced around the kitchen. The cleaning up was done. The clock on the stove told him that it was just past midnight. "I should probably head home. It's late."

Emily nodded and followed him out of the kitchen towards the door.

Hotch turned to face her when he reached the door, but found himself at a loss for words. She was gazing up into his eyes, her own eyes were almost pleading with him.

"Hotch, I need to know."

"Know what?" He said, his voice low and raspy.

"What tonight was. Beyond that it was a dinner."

Hotch was getting lost in Emily's big brown eyes. He cleared his throat in an attempt to clear his head. "Em…I don't know." He finally managed.

"What don't you know?" Emily was persistent. She needed an answer. She needed to know where he stood. She needed to know what he wanted. She took a small step towards him.

"I don't know what tonight was. Or what I want it to be. I…" Hotch swallowed hard. She was very close to him, and his body was acutely aware of this. "The only thing I know is that I want to do this, whatever this was, again."

That was all that Emily needed to hear. She could interpret from there. She nodded. "Me too." Her gaze had shifted. She was focused on his lips. They were so close, and she already knew from earlier that they were soft and felt incredible. She bit her bottom lip as her breathing became heavy. "Drive safe Hotch." She managed.

Hotch nodded, but didn't move. He was trapped in her gaze, trapped in the longings of his own body. He swallowed hard again. "Thank you for a delicious meal."

She nodded. "No problem." Her eyes never left his face though they shifted between his lips and his eyes.

Hotch leaned closer. Emily felt her heart race faster and she leaned forward as well. She turned her head ever so slightly and her lips grazed his cheek. "See you Monday." She practically whispered it, unwilling to trust her voice.

The loss of eye contact broke the spell on Hotch enough that he forced himself to turn and open the door. "Have a good weekend Emily." He said in a low voice as he stood in the doorway.

"You too Hotch." Both of them were still resistant to move, to leave each other's presence. Emily breathed in a slow, ragged breath. "Goodnight Hotch."

"Goodnight." He replied, gracing her with one last smile before he finally turned a left the house.

Emily closed the door behind him, then leaned against it for support. She took several deep breaths. She had wanted to badly to kiss him again, so why hadn't she? She was scared, but not just because he was her supervisor. It was more than that. She was scared that she might really like him. She hadn't really fallen for anyone in…in ages. She took another deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to get her heart rate back to normal. _What are you gonna do Emily?_ She asked herself. Hard as she tried, she just couldn't come up with an answer tonight.


	14. Chapter 14

Emily glared at her phone. Who the hell was calling her on a Saturday morning? She read the name. _JJ! Of course!_

"Hey JJ…do we have a case?"

"No…you just didn't call after your date last night."

Emily groaned. "That's because my date didn't end until after midnight and I didn't want to wake you up! What time is it?"

"Aha, so you admit it was a date!" JJ declared triumphantly.

"No…I mean my non-date…I mean…JJ what time is it?" Emily repeated.

"Ten thirty. Get up sleepy head. You're coming out to lunch with me. I want details."

Emily groaned again. "JJ, I just woke up."

"Ok…so I'll pick you up at noon. That gives you plenty of time to get up and get ready."

Emily rolled her eyes.

"Wait…he's not still there is he?" JJ asked in a hushed voice.

"What? No! Of course not! JJ, what kind of a girl do you take me for? Just…no Jayj."

"Ok. Ok. I had to ask though." JJ said. "Alright. I'll see you in a half an hour." JJ hung up the phone.

It took Emily a few seconds before she realized that JJ was no longer on the other end of the phone line. Emily glared at her phone. She briefly contemplated calling JJ back with some excuse as to why she couldn't go to lunch, but she doubted that the blonde agent would believe it. She sighed, rubbing her tired eyes. "Guess I should get up and get ready." She grumbled to herself.

_____________________

JJ smiled warmly at Emily as she got in the car. "Ok so Nikki's for pancakes?"

Emily nodded.

"Ok, so start talking." JJ said expectantly as she started down the road.

Emily sighed. "You're not even gonna let us get to the diner first?"

"Nope. I want details. I have a feeling this is gonna be good." JJ grinned eagerly.

"Hotch came over for dinner. He brought wine. We ate. It was nice. He left." Emily summarized.

"Do you know what 'details' are? What did he wear? What did you wear? Was it an expensive bottle of wine? What'd you eat? How'd he act? Come on! You're a profiler! Profile Hotch on a date for me." JJ persisted.

"It wasn't a date!" Emily replied.

"That remains to be seen. Come on now…Details." JJ demanded.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Ok. Ok. I wore those black pants…you know…the ones I bought when we went shopping after that case in Seattle?" JJ nodded. "Those. And I wore a forest green v-neck t-shirt. He wore black slacks, a white t-shirt, and a nice v-neck sweater over it."

"No tie?"

"No tie." Emily confirmed.

"Did he look hot? I bet he did!" JJ grinned.

"He looked…" Emily hesitated. "He looked really, really good."

"Good?" JJ looked skeptically at her friend.

"Ok, so he was really hot!" Emily gave in.

"I knew it." JJ smiled in triumph.

Lying to JJ was useless. The blonde may as well have been a profiler because she was extremely observant and would definitely know if Emily was lying.

"Anyway…It was a decently expensive wine. South African, very good."

"Yep. It was a date."

"It was not…now shhh. I made cheese fondue for dinner and chocolate fondue for dessert."

JJ waited for Emily to continue, but the brunette seemed to be under the mistaken impression that she was done. JJ's curiosity was far from satisfied. "And???"

"And what?"

"Emily Prentiss, you better start elaborating or lunch is gonna turn into dinner 'cause I'm not leaving 'til I'm satisfied with your account of the **date**." JJ emphasized the last word.

Emily groaned. It was looking less and less like she was going to get out of this without telling JJ about everything…including the kiss. "So what else would you like to know?"

"What did you talk about? Come on! Give me a play by play!"

"Hotch arrived, we talked about the wine, then this bowl from Luxor I served bread in, then we talked about food. I dunno. We just talked. The conversation was light and fun."

"Did Hotch smile?" JJ asked, pulling up at the diner and getting out of the car.

"Yeah, actually. He smiled during most of dinner. And time flew." Emily replied, following JJ into Nikki's diner. This was their usual breakfast spot. Nikki had been a college friend of JJ's who had opened a small diner. It was kind of out of the way, so not the busiest, but Nikki made the best pancakes so the diner stayed in business from the small but loyal clientele.

"Hey Jayj. Hey Em." Nikki greeted the girls with a kiss on the cheek. "The usual?"

"Please." JJ replied.

"No problem. So How've you gals been?"

"Fine. Emily had a date with Hotch last night!"

"Hotch? Like that tall, dark hair, dark eyes, chiseled good looks boss of yours?" Nikki asked impressed. She'd met him at the Christmas party JJ had thrown the year before.

"One and the same." JJ replied with a grin.

"Nice!"

"It wasn't a date!" Emily protested futilely.

"Uh-huh. Sure. Let me go make those pancakes, then I'll come join you girls." Nikki said, heading back to the kitchen. "Joey can take over for a little while."

Emily and JJ nodded then seated themselves at a corner booth by the window. JJ studied her friend. Emily seemed slightly anxious. Was it about telling them about the date, or did something happen on the date that made Emily anxious all on its own? JJ could tell that her friend was somewhat smitten with their boss, but there were all sorts of problems that came with that. JJ desperately wanted to see the two of them interact. She needed to see the connection, see Hotch's reactions. She could read Emily just fine, but their boss was much more enigmatic, and JJ wanted to be able to observe him interacting with the brunette sitting across the table from her. JJ felt that if she knew for sure how Hotch felt about Emily, then she could better advise her friend in what to do. She could tell that for one reason or another, Emily felt a little lost at the moment.

"Why do I feel like I'm being profiled?" Emily asked meeting the younger woman's gaze.

JJ smiled. "'Cause you are."

Emily groaned. "You're not gonna let go of this are you?"

"I want you to be happy. And I hate to say it, but you seemed pretty happy about dinner with Hotch yesterday."

Emily sat silently for a minute looking at her hands. "I was." She admitted finally looking back up at JJ.

JJ smiled again. "And now?"

"Now I'm confused." Emily sighed.

"Understandable. We'll wait 'til Nikki comes back and then we'll go through the date, dissect it, and see if we can't maybe help make you less confused. How's that sound?"

"That would be great, but, as noble as you sound, I have a feeling that dissecting dinner last night is more to satiate your curiosity than to help me out."

JJ grinned wickedly. "Who says it can't do both? I'm not gonna claim that I'm not dying to know what happened."

Nikki reappeared setting down a plate of chocolate chip pancakes in front of JJ and blueberry pancakes in front of Emily. "Here you are ladies." She said sliding into the booth next to JJ. "So let's hear about this date."

"It wasn't a date." Emily said hopelessly.

"Hotch came over to her house. She made fondue. He brought a nice decently expensive bottle of wine and he dressed nicely, but casually. They got lost in conversation and the time flew. He smiled a lot apparently. That's what I know so far." JJ summarized.

"Well, it's definitely a date. So ok, tell us more." Nikki leaned forward eagerly.

"Well we finished the main course, and then I had to make the chocolate fondue because I only had the one fondue pot. So he helped me carry things into the kitchen and then kept me company as I washed the fondue pot and started to make the chocolate." Emily hesitated. If she told her friends about the sexual tension…about the kiss…then there was no going back. It was as if as soon as she said it aloud, said it to someone who wasn't her or Hotch, then it would be real.

"And???" JJ and Nikki said simultaneously.

"And…I dunno. I was cooking, and he was standing close, and it made me…" Emily leaned her elbow on the table and put her head in her hand, trying to figure out what to say. "I don't know." Emily scrunched her eyes and opened them again. "He was just so…and I…I mean I was trying to cook, but he was so close and it was distracting, because he was so…there."

Nikki looked at JJ. "What's that mean?"

"Umm…I think she's saying that they had a moment or a couple of moments and she was really aware of how close he was to her while she cooked." JJ interpreted.

"Yeah. Basically. Except…I dunno. Like I cracked a joke while I was stirring the chocolate and he laughed. Hotch actually laughed. And it was this soft sexy laugh. And it sent a shiver down my spine. And he was so close. And then I looked at him and he was smiling at me. JJ you have no idea. I just got lost in his eyes. And I can't even believe I'm telling you this." Emily cut herself off seeing the devilish grin on the blonde's face.

"Oh no…you're not stopping now. So he's close, and smiling, and you look at him….." JJ prompted.

"And then I turned back to the food. And then I was so stupid and distracted I dipped my finger in to taste the chocolate and looked back at him with my finger sticking out of my mouth. Oh God! I must have looked so stupid!"

"Yeah…or really hot. Are you kidding? Sucking chocolate off your finger? Any straight guy would have found that ridiculously seductive, Em." Nikki pointed out.

Emily hadn't thought of that. She felt her cheeks flush. "Oh."

"Ok so what did he do?" JJ encouraged the story.

"He was staring into my eyes, and then he turned away and turned back and he was just Hotch. And we went into the dining room and put the stuff down on the table…" Emily hesitated again. Moment of truth. Did she really want to admit to the kiss? What if Hotch woke up today and decided that the whole evening was a mistake? If she told JJ, it might make things even more awkward at the office on Monday. Emily looked up at JJ's and Nikki's expectant faces. There was no way they weren't going to figure it out. Emily ran her fingers through her hair as she sighed. "And he grabbed a strawberry and dunked it in the chocolate and ate it. So I followed suit, but I missed my mouth a little, so then I had a bit of chocolate right by my mouth and then he was there. He took hold of me and…" Emily blushed deeply.

JJ squealed in delight. "He kissed you? Oh my God! This is so much better than I imagined. Hotch kissed you! You have kissed Hotch! Ok details. Now. Come on."

Nikki sat there gaping. She had to admit she was impressed. Hotch was quite a catch by anyone's standards. "Go on. Please continue…we didn't interrupt. Tell us what happened." She prodded.

Emily breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself down. "Yeah. He kissed me. And oh my God, Jayj…his lips…I mean…wow. But he's our boss! Like he's in charge of us! Like if Strauss or anyone else higher up in the chain of command ever found out he'd be in trouble. Hell, I'd be in trouble!"

JJ was too busy grinning ear to ear. Hotch had kissed Emily. Well there was no denying it was a date now. _Good for Em!_ Finally Emily's concerns sunk in. They were valid. "Em…It'll be ok you know. Nobody else at the agency has to find out. Besides we all have your backs. Don't worry. Just tell us what happened next."

Emily sighed. Her body was tense and she was shaking. "Ok..so next I pulled away. I mean it was Hotch! And then we didn't talk…or maybe we did. I think he said the food was going to get cold. So we started eating and we didn't say anything, and basically pretended that the kiss didn't happen. And all I could think about was that I'd just kissed my boss. I mean it's really a pretty dumb move. If we do date and then we break up it could screw up the whole team. And then he finally said something, and he started talking about this new pyramid they'd found remnants of recently in Egypt, and that kinda cleared the air. It made me think about something else besides the kiss at least. And then we finished dessert. And he helped me wash the dishes. He dried while I washed. And he was standing right next to me again…and my stupid brain wouldn't catch on that I'm not supposed to want to kiss him…and there was another almost moment. And then he went to the front door. And my brain was racing and I just had to know something about how he was feeling, what he was thinking before he left." Emily paused.

"And??? What did you say? What did he say? Don't leave us hanging!" JJ pleaded.

"I asked him what it was…the dinner. Like if it was a date or what. He said he didn't know, but that…" Emily hesitated.

"But that what? Em, you're killing us here." Nikki said.

"Well, he said he wanted to do whatever it was again." Emily finished.

"Does that include the kiss?" Nikki asked.

"I don't know. I just needed to know that he didn't completely regret the whole night! And then we were only a couple of inches away, and oh my God, I wanted to kiss him again so badly, but he's my boss! So I kissed him on the cheek and he left."

"I'm willing to bet he doesn't completely regret the whole night. Kissing you could not be a bad thing. I'm sure he wanted to kiss you again as much as you wanted to kiss him." Nikki said.

Emily looked skeptical.

"Em, Nikki's right. It sounds like he wants a second date. You shoulda kissed him."

"Yeah, but Jayj…No fraternization rules. Remember?"

"Sweetie, you've gotta go for what makes you happy. Look..say he wasn't our boss. If he was just a guy, and you'd had that same dinner and that same kiss, what would you want right now?" JJ asked

"A second date." Emily replied.

"And what do you want, Em? Screw rules and regulations. What's gonna make you happy?" JJ continued.

Emily sighed. "I don't know." She said quietly.

"I think you do, babe. I think you're scared." Nikki stated plainly.

JJ elbowed her. "Shh...let her figure it out."

"Sorry." Nikki said, rubbing her side where JJ's elbow had hit.

"No, you're right. I know what I want. I just…it's so surprising. And so sudden. And I don't know if I can." Emily picked at her blueberry pancakes with her fork.

JJ sighed. She could see the stress painted on her friend's face. "Em…just do what feels right. Do what makes you happy. Take things slow. Try not to jump to conclusions. And just see what happens." She advised.

Emily sighed. "Yeah…I'll try." She took a bite of her pancakes. "But you know you guys need to start having love lives so that we can sit here and dissect your dates. I don't want to have all of the attention."

Nikki laughed. "Hey, I'm working on it. There's this hottie that moved into the apartment across from me. She's really quite a looker."

"She?" Emily raised an eyebrow.

"Nikki's bi." JJ explained.

"Ah…well…you need to get a date with her so that I can have some fun questioning you."

"I'll do my best." Nikki grinned. "Now, we just have to find an eligible bachelor for JJ."

JJ rolled her eyes. "Hey. I've tried. There just aren't that many out there. Besides, work keeps me busy."

"Umm…I work the same place you do. What, work doesn't keep me busy?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, that's a lame excuse Jareau. I run my own business. Trust me work keeps me busy." Nikki added.

JJ rolled her eyes. "Hey can we get back to Emily's date here? Let's stay focused."

Emily and Nikki laughed. The three eased into friendly banter and Emily felt herself relaxing a little. Maybe she could try…just see where things took her. Dating Hotch though? Emily considered it. _Guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens when I see him Monday._


	15. Chapter 15

Hotch was surprised to find David Rossi waiting for him in his office when he arrived on Monday morning. Hotch had gotten to work early in the hopes of not running into any of his team. He's spent all weekend thinking about his date or whatever it was with Emily and he wasn't any less confused. He'd considered calling her, but he wasn't sure if it would be appropriate. He also had no idea what he'd have said if he had called.

"Good morning, Dave. Something I can help you with?" Hotch greeted the older man.

"How was your date?" Rossi asked with a smug smile.

Hotch rolled his eyes. "Really? That's what you're here for?"

"I like to be in the loop." Rossi replied simply.

Hotch looked at him skeptically. It really wasn't appropriate to discuss personal relationships at work, especially since it involved someone else on the team. On the other hand, Hotch was as confused as ever about the situation and he didn't really have anyone else he could talk to. On top of that, Rossi was notorious back in his day for interoffice romance, maybe he could offer some insight. "I don't think it was a date."

"Why not?" Rossi asked.

"I don't know." Hotch admitted.

"Tell me about it." Rossi said, leaning back in the chair he was sitting in.

"I went over, I took wine we ate, I screwed up, we had dessert, I think I kind of made amends, we talked, I left." Hotch summarized.

"How'd you screw up?" Rossi inquired.

Hotch hesitated. He was embarrassed. What if Dave pointed out that he took advantage of her? What if he disapproved?

"Aaron?" Rossi prompted.

Hotch sighed. "I kissed her. I caught her completely off guard."

"What did she do when you kissed her?" Rossi was finding it hard to believe that Emily minded being kissed by Hotch. From the small amount that he'd observed the two together recently, he thought that she seemed to fancy Hotch.

"She pulled away and looked shocked." Hotch replied resignedly, taking a seat at his desk.

"Immediately?"

"Well…No. Not the instant I kissed her. She kissed me back for a second, but that was probably just her body's automatic response."

"Or she was merely surprised at the unexpected kiss. She obviously wasn't too mad. She let you stay for dessert."

"Maybe she felt obligated because I'm her boss." Hotch countered.

"Maybe. But Prentiss is strong. I don't see her being afraid of kicking anyone out of her apartment."

What Rossi said was valid, and Hotch knew it. _But still…_ His doubts nagged at him.

"Hotch, how do you feel about her? Be honest with yourself."

Hotch had been trying to figure out that very thing all weekend. "She makes me smile." He replied after a moment's thought.

"I've noticed. Which is good. You need to smile more."

"But Dave, I've been out of the game too long! I don't even know how to go about dating someone anymore! Besides, I don't want to pressure her into something she doesn't want or isn't ready for."

Rossi looked thoughtful. "I don't think you're nearly as rusty as you claim. You managed to get a kiss on the first date. And Emily's hardly the type to allow herself to be pressured."

"I'm really not sure it qualifies as a first date." Hotch insisted.

"Was it a candlelight dinner?"

"Yes."

"Did she wear jeans or nicer pants?"

"Nicer pants." Hotch replied.

"Make up?"

Hotch nodded.

"Did you go through the whole bottle of wine?"

"Yes."

"That you brought."

Hotch nodded his head in confirmation.

"And you kissed her? That's a date." Rossi said definitively.

Hotch gave up arguing the point.

"Aaron, just let it happen. Don't be overprotective of her. She can take care of herself. She can protect herself, even from you if she feels the need to." Rossi advised.

Hotch nodded.

"Well I'm off to do some work." Rossi said, standing up. "Or maybe get some coffee. It's too damn early."

Hotch smiled a half-smile. "Serves you right!" He called after Rossi. He knew that his colleague had profiled him and known he would come in early to avoid people, so Rossi had come in earlier to catch him.

________________________________

"Emily! You're in early!" Rossi greeted her as he entered the break room. _They really are remarkably similar in some ways._

Emily jumped slightly. She hadn't expected anyone else to be in yet.

"Hi Dave." She smiled at him as she poured her coffee. _Wait, didn't Hotch say that Rossi knew about our date?…I mean dinner?...I mean whatever it was?_

Rossi smiled back at Emily. "So how was your weekend?"

Emily looked up sharply. Was it an innocent question? Emily studied Rossi's face. She didn't think it was. "You know, don't you." It was more a statement than a question. Emily sighed, leaning back against the counter.

"Depends on what you're referring to." Rossi replied reservedly.

"You know about Hotch and I. About the date."

"So it was a date?"

"I don't know."

_Interesting. That's exactly what he said._ "How was it?" He asked aloud.

"Hotch didn't tell you?" Emily wasn't fooled. The man clearly knew more than he was letting on.

"I want your take on it." Rossi replied.

"Ha. Well…It was nice. He was great. He helped me wash up and everything." Emily said.

"He seems to think he screwed up." Rossi observed her for a reaction.

Emily was surprised. "How'd he screw up?" Realization dawned. Hotch had told Rossi about the kiss. She tensed and her cheeks flushed. "Oh…umm…No. He's…He didn't…I mean…"

"You didn't mind?"

Emily blushed deeper. "Not…" She cleared her throat. "Not so much." Emily found herself unable to meet the older agent's eyes. She clenched her teeth. _This is silly! You can't behave this way at work Emily!_ "Do you mind if we don't…"

Rossi understood immediately what Emily was asking. "Of course. Sorry. We're at work. You're completely right."

Emily nodded her appreciation.

"If you would like to discuss it, however, just stop by my office. I assure you the conversation will go no further than you and me." Rossi poured his coffee and left the break room.

Emily leaned back against the counter again, needing the support. _This is a bad idea. Interoffice romance is a bad idea. That's why there are rules about it._ She took a sip of her coffee. _Maybe the caffeine will bring me to my senses._ She took another long slow sip. _So if Rossi already knew about the date, does that mean Hotch is already here too?_ Emily looked at her watch. It was still early. The rest of the team probably wouldn't be in for another fifteen to thirty minutes. Emily sighed and took a seat at the small table. If she went to her desk then Hotch could see her through his office window, and he might want to talk. She just didn't feel up to talking to him yet. She was glad that he hadn't called for the rest of the weekend. It had given her time to think…Not that she'd been able to sort out her emotions. She definitely needed at least the one cup of coffee before talking to Hotch.

"Hey there. You missed a good time on Friday night!" Morgan said, entering the break room with JJ.

"Hey." Emily replied. She hadn't moved from her seat in half an hour.

JJ nodded at her with a grin. Emily rolled her eyes.

"I still can't believe you ditched us for sleep! And you don't exactly look well rested Em…no offense." Morgan teased.

"Gee thanks." Emily replied sarcastically.

"So how was your exciting evening at home?" Morgan asked.

Emily and JJ exchanged glances. "It was fun." Emily replied simply.

"What'd you do? Just fall asleep at nine or something?" Morgan grinned.

"Hey. There's nothing wrong with going to bed at nine." JJ stepped in. She wasn't sure her friend would manage to hide the blushes should Morgan really start to pry. "I happen to enjoy going to bed early. It just doesn't happen very often. I think Emily would be much more interested in what time you got to bed. And maybe who you went to bed with?" Morgan had left the club at around one a.m. with a very attractive twenty-something-year-old.

"Ok. Ok. I'll stop teasing. And JJ I just gave her a ride home. She was too drunk to drive and I didn't feel right just shoving her into a cab and wishing her luck at one in the morning." Morgan defended himself.

"Always the upstanding gentleman." Emily smiled. She'd relaxed the minute that JJ had deflected the conversation away from her.

JJ looked at her friend. Emily nodded her thanks and JJ smiled.

"So what was her name Morgan?" Emily asked

"I'm telling you: nothing happened." Morgan said.

"Or he doesn't remember her name." JJ winked at Emily who laughed.

"You guys are worse than I am. For your information, her name was Pascale. She's French and she's over here for Graduate school."

"Looks like he does remember her name." Emily grinned.

"Come on. You really think that little of me?" Morgan pretended to be offended.

Emily and JJ rolled their eyes.

"No. Of course not!" JJ replied.

"We love you Morgan. But sometimes you do deserve a taste of your own medicine." Emily added.

Morgan grinned. "Ok. I get it. Less teasing. Now, um, don't we have work to do?"

"Oh, is that why we're here? I knew it was some reason." Emily said standing from the table and heading out of the break room with her two friends.

"Ha. Yeah. Easy to forget, I know." JJ said. "All this work interrupting our social lives." _Well, not all of our social lives._ JJ couldn't help thinking, glancing at Emily. She grinned. "See you guys later." She called as she headed to her office.


	16. Chapter 16

"JJ, can I speak with you in my office please?" Hotch approached the young agent as she stood talking with Garcia.

"Sure Hotch. I'll be right there." JJ replied.

Garcia shot her a curious look and JJ shrugged back. "A case probably." She explained.

JJ followed Hotch to his office, and was surprised when her superior closed the door behind them. "What's up Hotch?"

"Would you like to sit?" Hotch offered.

"Ok, Hotch? You're starting to scare me a little. Am I in trouble somehow?" JJ looked skeptically.

"Sorry. No, of course you haven't. I just wanted to talk to you about something." Hotch replied.

JJ sat down dubiously.

"Emily mentioned that you…that you're aware that Friday night she and I had…" Hotch faltered.

"Dinner?" JJ finished for him.

Hotch nodded.

_Does he think I'm going to tell someone?_ "Yes. I know about it."

"And I assume you've talked to Emily since the dinner…" Hotch looked to JJ for confirmation.

JJ suppressed a giggle as she remembered Emily's account of the date including the juicy little tidbit about Hotch kissing her.

"Apparently so." JJ's reaction didn't escape Hotch's notice. Emily had obviously divulged details of the date. Hotch cleared his throat in embarrassment. "I was wondering…without breaking any confidences, of course…Did I make her…Did she feel pressured in any way?" As awkward as this conversation was, he needed to know. If he'd pushed her too far, if she felt uncomfortable with him, he needed to know so that he could back off.

JJ squirmed in her seat. "Hotch…I don't…Maybe you should talk to Prentiss about this, sir."

The formality in JJ's response didn't escape Hotch either. "JJ, I know I'm putting you in an awkward position and we're at work…I'm sorry. I just need to know."

JJ understood. Hotch wanted to protect everybody all the time, and this time he was worried that he was the one doing the harm. He was talking to her instead of Emily because he didn't want to potentially pressure her more. "She's fine, Hotch. You didn't…She'd tell you, you know, if you did anything she wasn't ok with."

"Dave suggested that same thing. Thank you JJ." Hotch said.

_So Rossi knows too. I wonder what he thinks._ JJ mused as she stood to leave. "Hotch, may I make a suggestion?"

Hotch looked up at her. "Sure."

"Talk to _her_ about her. And don't try to protect her so much. She's very self-sufficient." JJ smiled at him.

He nodded. _Exactly what Dave said._ He sighed, pulling a file towards him. He closed his eyes. _You're at work Hotch. Focus on work. Do your job._ He opened his eyes and began his paperwork.

_______________

JJ walked briskly through the bullpen making a bee-line for Emily. "Bathroom! Now!" She whispered in her ear, tugging on her shirt sleeve.

Emily looked up in surprise, but stood to follow JJ. In the bathroom, JJ checked the stalls to make sure they were alone.

"You know, Jayj, I'm having a major sense of déjà vu here." Emily said. She was curious to see what the blonde wanted now.

Being satisfied that they were alone, JJ turned back to her friend. "Em, you need to talk to Hotch."

"JJ! We're at work!"

"Yep. But I just had this lovely uncomfortable chat with him."

"What? About what?" Emily asked in surprise.

"What do you think?" JJ gave her friend a pointed look.

"Me?"

"Yep." JJ confirmed.

"You're kidding! Hotch wouldn't cross that line. He keeps work at work and his personal life at home!" Emily replied.

"Sweetie, he was worried about you." JJ tried to explain.

"Why?" Emily was baffled.

"Because that's who he is. He was worried that you felt pressured. He basically wanted to make sure that he didn't need to protect you for him."

"Of course he doesn't! I'm a big girl! I can take care of myself!"

"That's more or less what I told him." JJ replied.

Emily let out an exasperated sigh. "JJ! Why did you tell him anything? You should have told him to ask me!"

"I did! But he…He was trying to protect you!" JJ defended him.

"I don't need protecting!" Emily insisted.

"_I_know that! I just needed to reassure _him_ of that!"

Emily tried to calm down. She breathed deeply. _I'm at work! I have work to do! I can't think about things like this at work!_

"Em, don't be mad at him. Or me, for that matter. He likes you." JJ said softly.

Emily looked up at her friend. "How?"

It was JJ's turn to be confused. "How what?"

"How does he like me? Like in what way?"

"Sweetie, he kissed you. How do you think he likes you?" JJ reasoned.

"It coulda been a fluke…and 'in the moment' thing." Emily argued.

JJ rolled her eyes. "Ok, trust me…Having talked to him today, it was not a fluke. He cares about you, and not just because you're a member of his team."

Emily looked sheepish. "Really?"

"Yes, really." JJ reassure her.

Emily blushed and turned away from her friend.

"You really like him, don't you?" JJ said quietly.

Emily paused before answering. A week ago she'd have said no without hesitation. _How did this sneak up on me so fast?_ She liked him, but it was more complicated than that. And if she admitted it out loud, it made her feelings real, which made them that much harder to ignore. None the less, Emily couldn't deny that she'd felt a rush of happiness and excitement when JJ had said that Hotch liked her. "Yes. I do." She finally replied, so quietly that JJ almost missed it.

JJ went to Emily and put a comforting arm around her. "Look, it's complicated, but that doesn't mean it has to be bad."

Emily closed her eyes. In theory JJ was right. But this was too complicated.

"Just…talk to him. Ok?" JJ suggested.

Emily didn't answer. JJ nudged her gently in the side. "Come on. For me? Please? To make up for the fact that I had to have a discussion with Hotch before nine o'clock and it wasn't work related? Please?"

Emily cracked a smile. "Later. After I get some actual work done. That is the reason that we're here after all."

"So Morgan claimed earlier." JJ replied with a grin.

Before JJ could leave the bathroom, Emily stopped her. "Hey Jayj?"

"Yeah?"

"You do have an office we could talk in, you know?"

"I do? Oh…is that that thing with all the files stacked in it?" JJ asked sarcastically.

"That'd be the one." Emily replied.

"Oh…Yeah, but that has a security camera in it, and I think Garcia watches our footage for fun. If she saw us having private discussions all the time, she'd think something was up." JJ explained.

"But she's not gonna question you dragging me to the bathroom every day?" Emily inquired skeptically.

"Well…" JJ hadn't thought of that. "If she asks I'll say that you needed makeup tips."

"Why couldn't you need the makeup tips?"

"Fine…I needed the makeup tips. Happy?"

"Yep." Emily grinned and headed out of the bathroom.

JJ rolled her eyes and headed to her office.


	17. Chapter 17

Emily was aware of Hotch every time he walked through the bullpen. How could she not? He consumed her thoughts. Every report she filed had his name on it. She couldn't have avoided thinking about him if she'd wanted to.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught movement coming from the direction of Hotch's office. She looked up and her eyes met his. She felt her heart begin to race. _Shit!_ She thought to herself. _I really do like him._ Her cheeks flushed as Hotch smiled at her while standing in the doorway of his office with a file. She looked down. She'd managed to avoid talking to him for most of the day, but she'd made an agreement with herself that she could have ice cream for dessert if she talked to him before she went home for the day. She looked at her watch. 5:32 p.m. Time was running out. Reid and Morgan had already left for the day. She looked around the bullpen. Elsewhere there were signs of people packing up and heading home. Emily was considering standing up to go and talk to Hotch when she saw JJ walk into his office with an armful of files. She watched through the window as the two agents had a fairly brief, professional exchange. He was probably signing some of JJ's paperwork.

JJ left the office minus a couple of folders and spotted Emily watching her. She headed over to the brunette's desk. Dropping her files on Derek's desk, she then came to perch on the edge of Emily's. "Hey."

"Hey." Emily replied looking down at her desk and pretending to be busy.

"You haven't talked to him yet, have you?"

Emily shifted in her chair. "For your information, I was about to when you went into his office right now."

"Well, he's free now." JJ pointed out.

"Yeah, but now I'm talking to you! And I don't want to be rude here." Emily said.

"I don't mind. I can talk to you after you talk to him." JJ responded.

Emily looked around. "A lot of people are still here. I think I'll wait 'til it clears out a little." Now that she was directly faced with talking to him, she felt nervous. Knots were forming in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm sure no one would even notice you going in to talk to him." JJ replied.

"Yeah, but if someone did notice they might start to wonder." Emily continued making excuses.

"Yeah. Sure. Because employees never talk to their bosses. Can't have that open line of communication in the workplace. You're right. People will find it very suspicious." JJ retorted sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"Point taken." Emily said, deflating slightly. JJ was right. Now was as good a time as any.

JJ stood up and picked up her folders. "I need to go file these, so you can't use me as an excuse anymore. Good luck." She said as she headed out of the bullpen.

Emily sighed. She looked around again. Everyone who was still there was involved in their own work. JJ was right. She had no excuse. _Now or never._ She thought. She stood up slowly finding her legs shakier than she liked. _Get it together! You're just going to talk to Hotch! Just like you have tons of times before!_ She dragged her feet as she walked, taking her time. She hesitated just outside of his office. _Maybe now's not the best time. He's probably busy._ She started to turn away to head back to her desk when Hotch looked up from his desk.

"Emily." He smiled. "Come in." He invited.

_Crap!_ Emily turned back. "Hi." She entered his office tentatively, the butterflies in her stomach intensifying. "Do you have time to talk?"

"Sure. Just close the door."

Emily swallowed hard as she closed the door, then she sat down nervously across from him.

Hotch found himself just staring at her. She was so incredibly beautiful, and she wasn't even trying. "What did you want to talk about?" Hotch asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"I…JJ said you spoke to her about me earlier." Emily said, her voice sounding more accusing than she meant it.

"Yes. And I'm sorry. I know that was out of line. Especially at work." Hotch replied.

"And Hotch….I mean, if you want to know something about me…just ask me." Emily was building up her courage a bit now.

"Sorry. I'll try to remember to do that in the future." Hotch said.

The awkward silence descended on them again.

"Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?" Hotch asked abruptly and immediately wished he hadn't. _It's a Monday night! And besides your first or second or whatever it is date should not be a spur of the moment thing! Emily deserves to be courted!_ Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose. He actually felt butterflies. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt butterflies. Except for right after he'd kissed Emily. The memory intensified his nervousness.

"Yes." Emily said determinedly.

"Really?" Hotch asked in surprise.

Emily smiled at that. "Yes."

"Just so we're clear…I'd really like this to be…" Hotch cleared his throat. "Well…a date."

Emily's heart skipped a beat upon hearing that. She nodded. "Ok."

Hotch smiled in relief. "Do you have a lot more work to do today?"

"I was thinking of heading out in about an hour." Emily replied.

"Do you like Italian food?"

Emily smiled. "Yeah. I do."

Hotch smiled back at her and Emily melted. How did he do that to her? She felt amazing when he smiled at her.

"Well I'll meet you by the elevators in an hour then." Hotch said.

Emily grinned back at him. She felt like a love-struck school girl. She nodded.

Hotch smiled wider upon seeing her grin. She was so gorgeous. _That smile's going to be the death of me._ He thought. _Either that or my salvation._ Said another part of his brain.

"See you in an hour." She said as she stood to head back to her desk. She left without looking back, not trusting herself not to blush or stumble if she did so.

__________________________

The last hour dragged on forever for Emily. Hotch had actually asked her on an official date. They were going to have their first official date tonight! She couldn't focus on her work and kept catching herself staring towards Hotch's office.

JJ saw Emily staring off into space. She knew she was being nosey, but she really wanted to know what Hotch and Emily had just talked about. She was happy for her friend. JJ smiled smugly to herself thinking how cute a couple Hotch and Emily make. _God they'll have gorgeous kids!_ JJ approached Emily's desk, but the brunette was oblivious to her presence. JJ leaned forward, putting her hands on the back of Emily's chair, trying to figure out what had engage the older agent's attention so completely. _Hotch! Of course. _

"So what'd he say?" JJ asked right by Emily's ear.

Emily jumped. She'd been completely unaware of JJ's approach. "Shit JJ! Way to sneak up on me! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

JJ pulled up an empty chair from a nearby desk and sat down. "I didn't sneak up on you. It's not my fault you were too busy making mooneyes at your boyfriend."

Emily blushed as she tried to look indignant. "I wasn't…He's not…I…"

JJ grinned.

"JJ!" Emily exclaimed in exasperation. "You're enjoying teasing me far too much."

JJ raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Maybe…but I didn't actually hear you deny what I said…especially the part about him being your boyfriend."

"Shhhhh…He's not. He's my boss." Emily hissed at her, glancing around to see if anyone might have overheard. The women were fortunately alone in the bullpen.

"So…What did Hotch say when you talked to him?" JJ persisted.

"I told him to talk to me directly, not to my friends, and he said ok." Emily replied.

"That's it?" JJ looked skeptical.

Emily hesitated. _I'll probably end up telling her sooner or later. _She thought. She relented. "And he asked me on a date."

JJ's face lit up. "Like a real date?"

Emily nodded. She couldn't help but smile a little. "We're going to dinner tonight."

JJ grinned. "But he's not your boyfriend?'

"I dunno Jayj! I mean come on! It's our first actual official date! It's way too soon for him to be my boyfriend!"

"Ok. Ok. You're right. Sorry…my teasing is done…for now."

"JJ, what are you still doing here?" Hotch asked. He had his coat on and his briefcase in hand. He glanced expectantly at Emily with a nervous grin on his face.

"Oh…I was just finishing some work." JJ replied, standing up.

"Outside of your office without any files on you?" Hotch raised an eyebrow.

JJ tried to look innocent. "Yeah, well I just had to check something with Emily. I'm heading back to my office now."

Hotch turned to Emily and tilted his head towards the elevators. Emily nodded and started gathering her things.

"Go home, JJ. Get some rest. And quit teasing Prentiss so much." He called back to her as he began to head towards the elevators with Emily.

Emily smiled at him as JJ slunk away sheepishly. _He really doesn't miss much._ Emily thought. _That could probably get me into trouble if I'm not careful._


	18. Chapter 18

Hotch wouldn't tell her where they were going. He wanted to surprise her. He'd managed to get a reservation at one of the nicer Italian restaurants in the area. It was a combination of knowing the owner and the fact that Monday night wasn't exactly prime date night that allowed him to get a reservation on such short notice. He still hoped that Emily would be at least slightly impressed. He pulled up in front of the restaurant and in his rearview mirror watched as Emily pulled in behind him. He stepped out of his car and watched as Emily did the same. _God she's sexy!_ He thought as she walked over to him.

"Piccola Italia! I'm impressed. How'd you get a reservation?"

Hotch grinned. "I know a guy." He said nonchalantly.

"Really." Emily smiled back and raised an eyebrow.

Ever the gentleman, Hotch held out his arm and Emily took it. Hotch liked the feel of her on his arm, at his side…He liked knowing that she was his date.

Emily grinned to herself as Hotch pulled open the door for her. _Well no one can fault him for not being chivalrous!_

Hotch followed her into the restaurant, placing his right hand gently in the curve of her back. The touch sent a tingle up her spine. Unlike the other night, his intentions tonight were perfectly clear. This was a date, no doubt about it.

"Ah. Mr. Hotchner. Welcome back. We have a table for you by the window there." The hostess greeted them, leading them to their table. It was in the corner, but by the window so the couple could get a view and still have some privacy.

Hotch held out the chair for Emily before taking his seat as the hostess handed them their menus.

"You know, I'm not used to hearing you be 'Mr. Hotchner.' It's weird not hearing 'Agent.'" Emily said as she picked up the menu.

"I do have a life outside of the bureau, albeit recently not much of one, and I can't be SSA Hotchner to everyone all the time. I find it kind of refreshing to be 'Mr.' every once and a while." Hotch replied.

It made sense. "Like when I was a kid I got sick of being Ambassador Prentiss's daughter. Sometimes it was nice to just be Emily."

"Exactly." Hotch replied. He smiled at Emily. He could barely tear his eyes away. The candlelight played gently over her features, accentuating her dark beauty. "God you're gorgeous." He breathed. The words slipped out before he could stop them. Hotch looked down, embarrassed.

Emily blushed deeply and bit her lower lip. "Thanks." She mumbled.

Hotch glanced back up at her, then down at his menu. His eyes looked through it; his brain only seemed able to focus on Emily. It didn't really matter. He knew the menu here and he knew what he was ordering: a nice filet mignon.

Emily tried hard to focus on the menu, but then Hotch's leg brushed against hers under the table. _Dammit he's so distracting! Focus. Food._ She managed to select something to eat before she felt Hotch's leg brush against hers again. A shiver ran through her body. Hotch noticed.

"You ok?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." She replied.

"Are you cold?" Hotch made to take off his suit jacket to give to her.

"No. No. Really I'm fine." _You're just turning me on. That's all! Oh God! Hotch is turning me on! My boss is turning me on! I'm on a date with Hotch, my boss!_ Emily swallowed nervously.

Hotch was still regarding her skeptically, but he kept his jacket. "Know what you're going to order?"

"Ravioli di Zucca." Emily tried the Italian name. "Pasta filled with oven roasted butternut squash, brown sugar, and pecorino cheese in a butter, red grape and sage sauce. I thought it sounded interesting. I like butternut squash ravioli."

"Again no meat? I'm going to have to take you to a steakhouse next time." Hotch teased.

Emily grinned. "Next time?"

Hotch's cheeks flushed. "I…Well if you…"

"That'd be nice." Emily cut him off. He was cute when he was flustered, but she wanted him to know that she wanted to be there, wanted another date. She wasn't sure about the whole situation, but she felt she owed it to herself to find out if there could be more to the feelings she'd begun to feel.

"Yeah?" Hotch needed reassurance. He really didn't mean to assume that they'd automatically go on another date. He didn't want to pressure her into one. _Remember, she's not the type to be easily pressured._ He reminded himself.

"Yeah." Emily confirmed.

The waiter approached their table. "Can I get you something to drink?"

Hotch looked at Emily. "Wine?" He asked.

Emily grinned. "Sounds good to me."

"Red or white?"

Emily thought for a second. "I think white would go better with my pasta, but you definitely want red with your steak."

"True. I guess we'd better go by the glass." Hotch turned to the waiter. "I'll have a glass of the house pinot noir."

The waiter nodded and turned his attention to Emily.

"And I'll have…I guess just the house pinot grigio."

The waiter smiled and nodded again.

"I think we're ready to order too." Hotch said.

The waiter waited expectantly. "Ok. Go ahead."

Hotch nodded to Emily that she should order first.

"I'll have the Ravioli di Zucca please. Oh. And can I have a glass of ice water too please?"

"Sure." The waiter replied before turning back to Hotch.

"And I'll have the filet mignon with sautéed onions please."

"Ok. And would you like some ice water as well?" The waiter asked.

"Yes please." Hotch replied.

The waiter left and Hotch turned his attention back to Emily.

"So about that next date…How's Wednesday night?" Hotch asked.

"Unless we get called away on a case, I'm free." Emily said.

Hotch smiled. "Ok. But I want to do this right. I mean actually picking you up this time. Not simply having you follow me in your car and saying goodbye at the restaurant."

"Well in that case we could either wait until the weekend or you could simply take me from work and take me home as long as you picked me up for work the next morning."

Hotch considered the options. On the one hand he didn't want to wait that long before another date. On the other hand, he didn't trust himself to leave Emily's house if he dropped her off and had to pick her up too and he didn't want to rush things. "Let's do it this weekend. Have a proper date."

Emily was slightly disappointed. She didn't want to wait until the weekend. "Ok. But how about we go out for drinks on Wednesday still. Nothing fancy…just something to tide us over until the weekend." _I can't believe how much time I want to spend with him already._

Hotch nodded, a smile spreading across his face and lighting up his eyes. "Sounds good."

The waiter returned with their wine and departed again.

Emily took a long sip. Despite how easy the conversation was and how happy Hotch seemed to be there with her, she couldn't help but still be nervous. With every time she was alone with him like this she just felt herself falling for him even more. She wasn't used to falling for someone so quickly. She was normally much more reserved. She was sure that part of her inability to trust people was a hazard of the profession. With Hotch, though, there was no need to not trust him. She knew him, well she knew him as a person, as a boss, as a colleague. He was a good man. A smart man. A man who understood how demanding her career was. A man who shared her professional interests. A man who dedicated his life to putting evil people behind bars. Still, she wasn't used to being able to trust a man.

Emily tried to ignore her reservations. She knew they were unfounded and that Hotch was a good man. She tried to delve into the light conversation. She couldn't help thinking, _I can't believe I'm on a date with Hotch and I'm going to go on more dates with Hotch! I can't believe I want to go on more dates with Hotch!_

The food arrived quickly and Hotch was pleased. The restaurant was definitely showing them good service. That would be a good way to impress Emily further. He could tell she still wasn't completely sure about starting a relationship with him. He wasn't completely sure about it either. On the other hand Emily was an amazing woman and he'd be stupid to let her slip through his fingers just because he wasn't one hundred percent sure. "How's the ravioli?" He asked.

"Oh my God! It's delectable!" Emily replied, covering her mouth to hide her chewing. "It practically melts in my mouth."

"Good." Hotch smiled at her.

"How's your filet mignon?" Emily inquired.

"Delicious. Would you like a bite?" Hotch offered.

"Sure. If you'll try my ravioli too."

"Deal." Hotch replied, cutting of a choice morsel of his steak and offering it to Emily, who unconsciously leaned forward and ate the steak off of the end of Hotch's fork. He grinned. _God she's cute!_

Emily realized what she'd done a second too late, and covered her face in embarrassment. "Oh God! I'm sorry! I should have put it on my plate and eaten it with my fork!"

"Don't be silly. It's fine." Hotch assured her with a smile that sent a tingle down Emily's spine. "How'd you like it?"

"You're right. It was absolutely delicious!" Emily replied. "Here." She put some of the ravioli on her fork and offered it to Hotch, who, following Emily's precedent, ate it straight off her fork. Emily grinned, relaxing slightly again.

"Exquisite." Hotch appreciated the blend of flavor in his mouth. "Are you sure it doesn't have meat in it? It's really good."

Emily laughed and rolled her eyes. "I thought we'd already established that food doesn't have to have meat to be good."

"Yeah, yeah. Ok. You're right. That's really quite tasty though. In all seriousness." Hotch admitted.

"Good." Emily smiled.

Hotch smiled back. He couldn't help it. Every time she smiled at him he got lost in her smile. She was ridiculously sexy and she wasn't even aware of it.

The meal continued in a light and friendly atmosphere. Emily barely thought of work, and she felt herself relax more and more. It seemed that whenever she remembered that she was on a date with her boss, Hotch would shoot her a smile and she'd melt. They both ordered dessert despite that they were stuffed, just to prolong the meal. Emily just didn't want to leave his presence yet.

When they finished sharing an order of tiramisu, Hotch reluctantly asked for the check. Emily started to offer to pay, but Hotch, as open minded as he was about women being equal, was too chivalrous to allow that. "Em, this is not up for discussion. I've got it. In a way, you paid for dinner last time. You bought the groceries that made the food. I've got this one."

Emily looked into Hotch's eyes that were twinkling in the candlelight and she knew that it was useless to argue. "Ok."

Hotch paid and they left the restaurant. Hotch walked Emily to her car, dragging his feet slightly so that it took that much longer. He was enjoying the playful conversation that they'd fallen into. He found himself feeling more and more comfortable with her. He knew that if he wasn't careful he'd fall head over heels in love with her. That fact scared him a little, but he wasn't going to let it scare him away.

At Emily's car, Hotch opened the door for her, but instead of getting in, she turned to face him. "Thanks for dinner. I had a really nice time."

"Me too." Hotch agreed. "I have to admit, I'm looking forward to coffee on Wednesday."

"Yeah. Me too." Emily said, gazing up into Hotch's dark eyes. She couldn't help herself then. On impulse, she slid her hand up his cheek and pulled him to her. Their lips met and Emily felt fire course through her body.

Hotch's lips eagerly devoured hers. It was as if they'd been longing for the touch of her lips since the last kiss they'd had. Emily parted her lips and Hotch slid his tongue hungrily into her mouth.

After a minute, Emily pulled away for air. Panting slightly she looked back up into Hotch's eyes. "Right…Well. We should probably go home."

Hotch nodded, unable to speak as he felt slightly out of breath himself. The combination of the passionate kiss and the raspy quality in Emily's voice had made the blood rush away from his brain.

"I'll see you tomorrow Hotch." Emily said before laying a soft, rather chaste kiss on Hotch's lips. She wanted to assure him that she didn't regret the last kiss.

"Goodnight Emily." Hotch finally managed to say as he stepped away from the car so that Emily could get in and close the door.

Emily took one last look at Hotch through the driver's side window before waving and driving away, her lips still tingling from the kiss. Hotch watched her, until he couldn't make out the tail lights anymore, then he too went to his car and drove away into the night thinking that a cold shower might not be a bad idea.


	19. Chapter 19

Emily sighed as she glanced up towards Hotch's office for the fiftieth time that morning.

JJ approached and plopped down on the edge of Emily's desk. "Way to not be too obvious," she whispered sarcastically into Emily's ear.

Emily turned her attention to her blonde friend and rolled her eyes.

"I think we need to talk again," JJ said as she stood up again. "Come on. Stand up!"

"JJ I'm not going back for another conversation in the bathroom," Emily replied firmly.

"Fine. We can talk in my office. Come on. Up!"

Emily stood and followed her friend reluctantly out of the doors and down the hall. At JJ's office, JJ opened the door and indicated that Emily go ahead. Emily went in and sat down as JJ closed the door behind them then sat down in her chair. "So…" JJ prompted expectantly.

"So what?" Emily tried to play it innocent.

JJ gave her a skeptical look. "The date? Why are you glowing? Why can't you seem to take your eyes off Hotch?"

Emily blushed. "I'm not glowing. I mean we didn't…"

"You may not have had sex, but you sure as hell are glowing! You just seem…happy! Don't get me wrong, I like seeing you happy! I think it's great. I just want details," JJ prodded.

Emily blushed deeper. "We went to dinner. We talked. He was great. Then at the end of the night, he walked me to my car and we kissed. I mean…wow! Really kissed. And we have another date tomorrow night. Just a mini coffee date. Then a proper date this weekend."

JJ squealed in delight. "Excellent! Aw, babe, I'm so happy for you! And Hotch! I mean Hotch is a really great guy! And you're such an amazing girl, and such a good friend! Hee hee! I'm so happy you two found each other!"

"Shh! Pipe down, will you? Are you trying to have the whole office hear? Let's not forget this is still frowned upon by the FBI. Plus if the rest of the team found out, it might cause weirdness. Especially with Derek."

"You know that Rossi knows, right?" JJ asked.

"Yeah. He's talked to me," Emily replied.

"I don't think that Morgan would be that weird about it. Reid might feel a bit awkward, but that's about all I could see happening. And Garcia will be really annoyed that we didn't tell her sooner. We all love you guys though, and we just want to see you happy," JJ assured her.

Emily looked skeptical. She wasn't convinced. "Still…If Strauss found out?"

JJ flinched. "Yeah. True. But we'll protect you. Don't worry!"

"I thought we weren't allowed to have chats in your office because Garcia would see us on the security cameras," Emily pointed out.

"We can't have lots of chats because she'll get suspicious. Hopefully we can get away with one," JJ replied. "So tell me more about the date. Where'd you go to dinner? What's it like dating Hotch?"

Emily grinned goofily. She couldn't help herself. "Well, he took me to Piccola Italia."

"Wow, really? Nice! How'd he swing that?" JJ was visibly impressed.

"He claimed he knows a guy," Emily echoed Hotch's answer from the night before.

"I see," JJ replied with a grin. "Ok, go on."

"Well…It was great. We had nice, easy flowing conversation, and Hotch was great. He was funny, and nice, and a total gentleman. And he's an absolutely incredible kisser. He also just…I dunno…He makes me feel safe, and secure. I haven't had a guy do that for me in…well, ever! But he does."

JJ smiled. "Good. You deserve that."

"I don't need it though," Emily said.

"No. You don't," JJ agreed. "You're a strong, smart, capable woman. But it's nice to have that when you want it."

Emily nodded. "It's surprisingly nice. Especially since Cyrus beat the crap out of me."

JJ looked down, guiltily. She had not been happy about her friend getting beaten. "I bet," she said softly. "So you really like him, huh?"

Emily bit her lower lip. "It scares me a little, Jayj. I mean, I'm really falling for him. We've been on two semi dates, and already I'm acting like a school girl with a crush. I'm not used to that. Plus there are the complications of working together and stuff. But yeah: I really like him."

JJ grinned. "Yay."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Ok, I should get back to work. I don't want to raise anyone's suspicions."

"You might wanna stop looking at him every ten seconds then," JJ suggested.

"Yeah. I'm gonna work on that," Emily acknowledged. "See you later?"

"Definitely," JJ replied.

______________________________________________________________

"I couldn't help noticing how happy Emily looks today. Anything you'd care to share?" Rossi asked Hotch, closing the door behind him after he entered his fellow agent's office.

Hotch looked up. "You really think she looks happy?"

"You'd have to be blind not to notice it," Rossi replied.

"You don't think the rest of the team will wonder, do you?" Hotch asked nervously.

"I don't think that anyone besides JJ and I have put the pieces together yet. They are profilers though, so you know you can't hide this from them forever," Rossi informed him.

Hotch sighed. "Yes. I know."

"So did you two have a date last night or something?" Rossi inquired.

"We did. It was…It was great. She's so much fun to talk to. And she's so smart. I love being with a woman that I can hold an intelligent conversation with. And she understands the job and the stresses as well as the love for it."

"I take it you've fallen for her rather hard," Rossi surmised.

Hotch hesitated. "I seem to be well on my way there," he admitted.

"That can't be easy for you…First woman since Hayley and all."

"It's a bit complicated, but Emily's amazing. She's so strong, but I still want to protect her. I want to just…" Hotch cut himself off when he remembered that he was at work and talking to a colleague. "Sorry. I should get back to work."

"Sure. Of course," Rossi replied. "I think it's plain to see that she's falling for you too," he added before standing and leaving the room.

Hotch looked out of his window into the bullpen and saw Emily watching him. He caught her eye and smiled. She blushed and looked down. Hotch smiled. "Good," he said to himself.


	20. Chapter 20

Emily couldn't help being nervous all day on Saturday. Wednesday's date had gone smoothly. They had gone for coffee, conversed pleasantly for hours, and then the evening had ended in another smoldering kiss. Tonight though….tonight had the potential to be different. It was a real, full date, really planned out. Of course Hotch had done the planning, which hadn't helped Emily's anxiety. He was refusing to tell her where they were going, which was not helping her choose an outfit. Emily jumped when the doorbell rang. She glanced at the clock. It was only three in the afternoon. There's no way that that was Hotch. She went downstairs and opened the door.

"Thought you might need a distraction," JJ said as she swept past Emily. She turned and took in her friend's somewhat disheveled appearance. "Can't choose what to wear?"

Emily just nodded and sighed as she closed the door. Much as she hated to admit it, JJ might actually be able to help her. JJ wouldn't have the anxiety that she did tying up her decision-making abilities.

"Don't worry we'll come up with the perfect outfit for you. Have you eaten lunch?"

Emily noticed for the first time the bag that JJ was carrying. Emily shook her head. "I can't eat. Too nervous."

JJ sighed. "Don't be nervous. It's Hotch. You like Hotch. He's not going to hurt you."

"I know that!" Emily defended herself. "That's not what I'm nervous about. I think…I mean what if tonight's…well…" Emily felt herself blushing.

"Oh!" realization dawned on JJ. "You're thinking that tonight might be the night that you two…" JJ wiggled her eyebrows.

Emily nodded, feeling the knots in her stomach tighten further.

"Wow. Ok, well that I understand a little better. It's not like it's your first time though. Besides you need to eat something. I brought some left over stew from dinner last night."

Emily had to admit that it did smell appetizing as JJ pulled it out of the bag. "Maybe a little. And it's not my first time, but it _is_ my first time with him."

"Did you shave?" JJ asked, setting the stew on the table and grabbing a spoon from a drawer.

Emily nodded as she sat down at the table and began to eat.

"Then you're all set," JJ said assuredly.

"Not if I show up naked on my date because I don't have anything to wear," Emily countered between mouthfuls.

JJ rolled her eyes. "I don't know. Seems appropriate to me. I'm sure he wouldn't complain!"

Emily glared at her friend and slapped her playfully on the arm.

"Look, Hotch and I had a little conversation earlier, and I know where he's taking you. I'll help you find the perfect outfit, ok?"

"_You_ know where he's taking me? Where are we going?" Emily asked incredulously.

"Can't tell you!" JJ grinned.

"You suck," Emily continued to glare. She took a few more bites of stew and then pushed away the rest. "Ok. Done. I need to save room for dinner."

"True," JJ conceded.

"Ok seriously Jayj. Where is he taking me?" Emily pleaded. "You know that not knowing is driving me insane!"

"I know. But you don't have too much longer to wait to find out and I'm not going to spoil the surprise for you. Now let's go find you an outfit!"

"Ok, ok."

"And do your hair," JJ added.

Emily sighed, but she didn't really mind the help. "Ok."

"And your makeup."

Emily rolled her eyes. "I can do my own makeup!"

"Yes. You're very good at it. But tonight, I'm going to do it. Don't worry!"

Emily furrowed her brows. Somehow she had a feeling that the next four hours were going to be long ones.

________________________________________________________________________________

"There!" JJ exclaimed triumphantly as she finally spun Emily around to face the mirror.

Emily had to admit that JJ had done a good job. "I look great!"

"I know. Actually, you look better than great! You look smokin' hot!" JJ grinned.

Emily took in the soft curls in her hair, the makeup that was perfectly done to accentuate her dark eyes, and the long black dress that JJ had picked out for her to wear. It was a v-neck dress that was cut just on the border between being appropriate for a nice restaurant, and being suggestive of naughty things to come later. "Ok. I look hot," Emily agreed.

JJ beamed. "Excellent!" She glanced at her watch. "It's almost seven. I should go! Don't wanna be here when your date comes to pick you up!" JJ winked.

Emily couldn't help but grin back at her. "True. Wish me luck!"

"You don't need it, but good luck!" JJ called back as she headed out the bedroom door and down the stairs.

Emily continued to stare into the mirror as she heard her front door open and close. Some of the nervousness that had disappeared while she was hanging out with JJ began to return. "Get it together, Em! It's just Hotch. You've been on a date with him before. And maybe nothing special will happen afterwards. Just relax."

She spent the next five minutes trying to calm herself, but as soon as the doorbell rang, she realized how useless it had been. Her heart immediately jumped back into her throat. She took a deep breath in a last ditch effort to be calm and then headed downstairs to open the door. When she opened the door, Hotch stood before her in a sleek black suit with a white shirt that had the top two buttons undone. Emily couldn't help but appreciate the lack of a tie.

"Wow! You look gorgeous!" Hotch declared, his mouth dropping open in surprise. He'd always known that Emily was an attractive woman, but this was just…She was absolutely stunning.

"Thanks. You look really…handsome yourself! I mean wow!" Emily replied. Before she could say anything else, her mouth was otherwise occupied.

Hotch couldn't help himself. Emily just looked so sexy. His hungry lips met hers with more ferocity than he'd intended. He had her pinned against the wall in a second as their lips mashed together.

The nervousness that had been bothering Emily all day turned to desire as electricity began to flow through her veins at feeling the pressure of Hotch's body pressed against hers. Her right hand wrapped around behind his head, deepening the kiss as her left arm and her leg unconsciously wrapped around his body, pulling him in closer.

Hotch was torn between his desire for Emily and his rational mind that wanted to do this right. They had reservations in a half an hour and they still had to go back across town. He reluctantly pulled his lips away from hers and disentangled his body from hers. "Sorry. I…You look really fantastic."

Emily was breathing heavily and she didn't trust her voice so she simply nodded. Now that the physical connection was broken, Emily felt the nervousness return with a vengeance. It seemed more certain than ever that the evening would eventually lead back to her bedroom.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

"So how was your steak?" Hotch asked as he spun Emily on the dance floor.

"It was exquisite. I have to say, you chose an excellent restaurant."

"Best steak in all of D.C.," Hotch confirmed. "And best company." He grinned down at her, still dazzled by how stunning she looked.

Emily blushed deeply. "Yes. It is," she said softly.

"What do you say we get out of here?" Hotch asked as the song ended. He was having trouble restraining himself. Every time she flashed him a smile he felt his heart rate accelerate and his lips long for hers.

The butterflies in Emily's stomach twitched wildly as she nodded. "Ok."

Hotch led her off of the dance floor, out of the club, and to his car. He chivalrously opened the door for her and she climbed in, nerves taking over her body and her mind once again.

Hotch climbed into the driver's seat and started the car. He couldn't help sending sidelong glances at Emily. He could tell that she was slightly nervous and he was too. He wasn't going to push anything tonight. This was uncharted territory for the two of them, and they worked together making everything that much more complicated. He hadn't lost sight of those facts in his lust for her. He wouldn't become one of those guys that he wanted so desperately to protect her from. He took his right hand off the wheel and reached out and took hers, wanting to alleviate any anxieties she might be having. He wanted to convey the message that he wasn't going to rush her into anything that she wasn't ready for without actually having to say it.

Emily glanced up in surprise when Hotch's hand took hers. She was relieved to find that some her nervousness faded away at his touch. At the same time that puzzled her. Had she fallen for him so deeply that he could ease her fears with a simple touch? Or were they just that in tune with each other tonight? They'd certainly flowed together seamlessly on the dance floor.

The car ride seemed to pass quickly and they were back at Emily's house before they knew it. Hotch once again opened the door for Emily. Emily went straight to her front door, without turning around. She had no intention of saying goodnight to Hotch yet, but she was afraid that she would chicken out if she turned around and gave herself the possibility of an out. She wanted this, wanted him, but her nerves could still get the better of her, as well as her rational mind. She didn't want to give either a chance. She opened her front door and walked inside, still without turning around.

Hotch followed curiously behind her. It worried him slightly that she didn't seem willing to look at him. "Emily…" he was going to tell her that they weren't going to do anything tonight. He was going to tell her goodnight, but then she turned her dark eyes on him and he didn't see fear there. He saw only desire. The look in her eyes made his desire for her surge through his veins. He kicked the door closed and grabbed her up into his arms, pushing his lips into hers. Again he had her against the wall within seconds, only this time his rational brain was nowhere to be found.

Emily felt heat rush through her as she pulled Hotch into her further. "Hotch…" she breathed in a raspy voice.

"Mhm?" he muttered as he kissed down her neck.

"Upstairs," she gasped as she got more excited by the second.

"Too far," Hotch replied breathily.

"Couch?" she suggested as she slid his jacket off over his arms and began undoing the buttons of his shirt.

Hotch simply grunted in approval as he brought his lips back to Emily's. His tongue explored her mouth as his hands explored her body.

Emily let out a low moan, before pushing Hotch away. She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the couch before turning back and letting his mouth capture hers again. She made quick work of the rest of his shirt buttons and she slid it off of his body and flung it carelessly to the floor. The intensity of their embrace increased and Emily was forced down onto the couch as Hoch climbed over her, pulling up the skirt of her dress. Emily's hand shot to his belt, unbuckling it as fast as she could, before turning her attention to his pants button and his fly. She could feel what waited for her beneath and she grinned into his mouth.

Hotch gasped as he felt her hands on him and began to kiss down her neck and down her collarbone to her chest. Tonight was going to be an incredible night. He could tell already.


	21. Chapter 21

Hotch stroked Emily's hair gently, not wanting to wake her, but unable to keep his hands off of her. They had somehow made it up to the bedroom, where they'd had a repeat performance of what had happened on the couch, only it had been even easier as they'd been unencumbered with clothes to slow them down. Their bodies had flowed together in perfect harmony, rising and falling in rhythm, leading them to their simultaneous release. It had been pure bliss. It was early morning now, still dark outside with the moonlight drifting in through the open window, dancing beautifully over Emily's delicious curves that the sheet had fallen away from. Hotch's eyes played over her body and he felt his own body respond eagerly. He couldn't get enough of the attractive brunette beside him. He kissed her head likely and she stirred.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Hotch whispered. "Go back to sleep."

Emily stared at him wide eyed for a moment while consciousness dawned on her and the previous night's events played back in her mind. She blushed and looked away, noticing her nakedness for the first time. She self-consciously pulled the sheet up around her.

Hotch reached forward and took her hand that was clenched around the sheet. "Are you ok?" he asked anxiously.

Emily relaxed at Hotch's touch and she nodded. "Yes."

"We didn't rush things too much?" he asked, his anxieties listening to his brain rather than his heart.

Emily squeezed his hand, and inched towards him under the blanket. "No."

Hotch smiled and sunk down a little in the bed. Emily tucked herself into the space by his warm body and felt his strong left arm wrap around her, grabbing her left hand. She leaned her head against his chest. Hotch brought his right hand over and began to stroke her right arm tenderly. "It's weird. It feels like I've known you forever, and at the same time it feels like I've just truly gotten to know you."

"I know what you mean," Emily angled her head so that she could gaze up at Hotch. "I think…" she cut herself off. She couldn't say what she was thinking, or rather what she was trying not to think, but couldn't stop feeling. She couldn't say that she was falling head over heels for the strong, handsome man whose naked side she was pressed against. It was definitely too soon for admissions like that.

"You think what?" Hotch prompted, his curiosity piqued.

"Nothing," Emily said.

"I find it hard to believe that you ever start to say 'nothing'. Everything you say is important," Hotch replied.

Emily searched his face for any sign of sarcasm, but found none.

"What were you going to say? What do you think?" Hotch asked again. "I really want to know."

Emily could tell that he wasn't going to leave this alone, but she really wasn't ready to admit the depths of her feelings to him yet. She was only barely willing to admit them to herself. Her brain scrambled to think of something else. "I think it's going to be a lot harder to hide our relationship from the rest of our colleagues now."

Hotch's body grew stiller beside her. "You may be right."

They lay in silence for a few minutes, both deep in thought.

"Are you ok with others finding out?" Hotch asked quietly.

Emily thought for a second. "I suppose so. They're our teammates, our friends. JJ thinks that they're going to react supportively." She paused for a minute. "Are you ok with it?"

Hotch looked down at her. "It's a little anxiety causing, just because our relationship is frowned upon by our superiors, but I've kissed any chance of promotion goodbye a while ago. I don't think they'd really get rid of either of us for this. All I know for sure is that I don't want to give this up. I don't want to let you go." _Ever._ Hotch added to himself. He squeezed her tighter to him.

Emily smiled, relaxing into his side. He just made her feel so secure, so protected. She turned her body a little more and lifted herself up, bringing her face up to his and kissed him gingerly on the lips. "Me either."

Hotch smiled, and wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her slightly more on top of him. Emily felt his body respond and she felt herself begin to tingle again.

"Round three?" Hotch suggested.

Emily grinned and kissed him again, rougher and deeper, indicating her approval of that idea. She climbed more directly on top of him and as he slid himself eagerly inside of her again she moaned in ecstasy. Her mind couldn't help thinking that she was gone…she wasn't falling, she had fallen. Whether she could admit it to herself or not, after only three dates, she loved Hotch.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emily yawned at her desk. It had been a far from restful weekend, not that she was complaining. Hotch had gone home sometime Sunday afternoon, but apparently neither of them had been able to stand being apart for very long because just as she'd been reaching for her phone to invite him back for dinner, her phone rang. He'd invited her over and she'd accepted in an instant, her heart soaring. She'd packed an overnight bag, being optimistic, and she hadn't been disappointed. Emily looked up as a familiar blonde walked past her desk for the third time that morning. JJ looked pointedly at Emily then continued on her course to the bathroom. Emily sighed then stood slowly and stretched. She'd been surprised that her friend had managed to refrain from calling her first thing Sunday morning. Emily walked down the hall and entered the bathroom and was not at all surprised to find JJ waiting there for her.

"So?" JJ prompted.

Emily blushed. "One word: Incredible!"

"You did? I mean…you and Hotch…you've…"

Emily nodded.

"Wow! Just…wow!"

Emily nodded again with a grin. "You have no idea."

"Ok…so tell me more! I want details! I mean…well, clearly not too many details. He is my boss. That would just be…weird. Very weird. But like what happened? What led up to the sex? How did h e go about getting you in the sack?"

Emily laughed. "I think I might have been the one that got him in the sack."

"Really!?!" JJ grinned and cocked an eyebrow. "I'm impressed Ms. Prentiss!"

"Me too. I just…I wanted him…"

"Start from the beginning, start from him picking you up at your house after I left," JJ insisted.

As Emily recounted the events of the weekend, JJ's eyes widened. When Emily explained that they'd spent not only all night Saturday together but also all night Sunday, JJ's jaw dropped.

"So last night? You were…And when you woke up this morning, you were at Hotch's house? In his bed? With him?"

Emily smiled. "Yep. And then I was in his shower with him."

"Wow! I mean really? Wow! Well, that explains both your yawning and that satisfied glow that you've got going on."

"I know."

"How's it going, being here in the office with him?" JJ asked.

"It's…it's hard! I just want to go into his office and kiss him! I know I can't, but…It's like now that my body's had him, it's craving him! I can't even explain it! I just can't get enough of him! His company, his scent, his smile, the feeling of his arms around me…"

JJ surveyed her friend for a minute, pensively. "Are you…" JJ hesitated, then changed her mind, then she changed it again. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

Emily's breath caught in her throat. "I…We've only been on three dates…"

"Four," JJ interjected.

"Four…Still! Don't be ridiculous! Of course I don't...I can't…It's just not…I mean, I'm…"

"Totally in denial?" JJ prompted.

Emily glared, but the problem was that JJ was right. She was totally in denial.

"Ok…I'll leave it be. You should probably tell him before you tell me anyway," JJ conceded.

"What? No! I…Noooo. I will not be saying anything even close to that to Hotch for quite a while!" Emily replied.

"Why not?" JJ asked.

"For starters, because guys tend to run when you use the L word on them, especially so early in a relationship!" Emily pointed out.

"Maybe, but Hotch isn't most guys, and I don't think he'd run. Just…Think about it. I suppose we should get back to work," JJ sighed, opening the bathroom door.

"Probably," Emily agreed, glad that JJ was dropping the subject.

"Em?" JJ said softly.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks," Emily smiled. As much as JJ teased and pried, she was really quite a good friend.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You look happy," Rossi observed as Hotch closed the door behind him as he entered his older colleague's office.

"I am," Hotch replied with a smile.

"I assume that Emily is to thank for that?"

"You assume correctly."

Rossi smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. She's a great girl!"

"She's amazing! We spent the whole weekend together," Hotch admitted.

Rossi paused, trying to read the meaning of Hotch's words. "You mean…"

"I'm not the type of man to kiss and tell," Hotch replied.

"No, but you don't have to. It's evident," Rossi grinned. "Congratulations! That's quite a big step."

"I know. Which is part of the reason I'm here. I think…Well, do you think we're moving to fast?" Hotch asked.

"I don't think that my opinion on the matter is especially relevant," Rossi pointed out.

"None the less, Dave, I'm asking."

Rossi thought for a second. "No. I don't. I haven't seen Emily yet this morning, but I'd imagine that she's radiating the same sort of contented glow that you are. For a lot of couples, it might be too fast, but you two have known each other for a couple of years. You were friends first. You can't expect your relationship with Emily to move at the same speed as one with someone you meet in a bar one night. There were already underlying emotions for you to build on. It's no wonder that you've fallen for her so quickly. I don't think that love is inappropriate in your situation."

Hotch's jaw dropped slightly, but he caught himself. "How did you know?"

"Well, I assumed that if you had had any doubts that sex was too soon, you wouldn't have done it, and with the way you look at her, and the way you look when you talk about her…It's obvious," Rossi replied.

"I can't tell her. Whether or not it's true, it's too soon to tell her. She'll run. It'll scare her away," Hotch said definitively.

"Maybe, or maybe she'll surprise you, just like she has every step of this so far."

Hotch considered this. "Maybe...but I can't tell her. Not yet. I would feel like I was rushing her. The crazy thing is that I just can't stop thinking about her, or wanting to be near her. I want to spend all of my time with her. Acting like there's nothing going on at work is getting infinitely harder."

"Have you considered just telling the rest of the team? That way small slip ups wouldn't be such a problem?" Rossi suggested.

Hotch nodded. "I have. She thinks it will be harder for us to hide our relationship now anyway. I just…Part of me wants to keep her, to keep us all to myself just for a little longer."

"I can certainly understand that, but you do work with exceptionally perceptive people. You won't be able to hide it much longer one way or the other."

"I know. We need to sort it out, but for now…I hope for just a few more days we can keep it between us."

Rossi nodded and Hotch stood up to leave.

"Aaron?"

"Yes?"

"In case you were wondering, I approve whole heartedly. It's good to see you so happy."

Hotch smiled. "Thank you."


	22. Chapter 22

"Agent Jareau, could you come in here for a moment please?" Rossi asked as JJ walked past his office door.

JJ stepped back and stuck her head in the door. "What's up?"

"Come in and close the door please. There is something I would like to talk to you about."

JJ raised an eyebrow in surprise, but did as he'd asked. She took a seat across from him, feeling oddly nervous. "What's going on?"

"I'm assuming that you've been informed by Emily about the…" Rossi cleared his throat, "newest developments in our friends' lives?"

JJ didn't know how much Rossi knew because Hotch didn't really seem the type to brag about his conquests. Still, Rossi was a trained profiler. On the other hand, JJ didn't want to betray her friend. "I'm not sure which thing you're talking about," she replied noncommittally.

"The weekend for starters, and the feelings that are becoming more and more apparent, even though they seem insistent on fighting them, or Aaron does at least."

"Oh. Yeah. That. Emily, too," JJ admitted.

"I expected as much. They are both extremely head strong people," Rossi nodded.

JJ let out a short laugh. "If by that you mean stubborn as a mule, then yes, definitely."

Rossi smiled. "Precisely. Now what are we going to do about it?"

JJ looked blankly at him for a second. Had she heard correctly? "We?"

"You and I. I have a feeling that Aaron is not going to admit anything without a push or two…or three in the right direction."

"I already tried with Em…She's..." JJ paused again, still not wanting to give away too much information about her friend.

"Afraid? Scared of getting hurt? Scared of what she's feeling?" Rossi guessed.

"Exactly," JJ nodded.

"We need to keep encouraging, but without being pushy. They're both stubborn enough that if they think we're trying to influence them, they'll ignore us just to spite us."

JJ laughed again. "That's for sure."

"I'm glad we agree," Rossi smiled at her.

JJ smiled back. "Yeah. I"ll do my best."

"Thank you."

"No problem." Silence descended on them and JJ felt suddenly awkward sitting there. She began to fidget.

As the silence lengthened, JJ started to rise to leave.

"One other thing…" Rossi interrupted her.

"Yeah?" JJ asked.

"Hotch would like to keep this private for at least a little longer if they can. He's enjoying having her all to himself. I'd appreciate your help in aiding them with that. Anything that you can do to steer the rest of the team's suspicions away from their relationship would be great," Rossi requested.

"Yeah, sure! Definitely," JJ smiled. She was surprised by Rossi. She wouldn't have thought that he'd get involved in this so actively. She found herself respecting him a bit more for it. "Anything else?"

"That's it. Thanks JJ," Rossi smiled at her.

"No problem," JJ left feeling slightly strange. She couldn't help feeling like something else had just happened, like something had changed. She didn't know what though. She shook her head, trying to shake it off.

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Emily knocked tentatively on Hotch's door. She was nervous. This was their first interaction at work since they'd slept together. She'd done her best to not think about him all morning, but had had no success. Flashbacks from the last two days kept playing in her mind, distracting her from her work. She had to see him, had to just talk to him.

"Emily," Hotch looked up from his desk, a wide smile spreading across his face.

"Hey," Emily couldn't refrain from smiling herself. She entered the office and closed the door behind her. She had to fight the urge to rush immediately to Hotch and kiss him.

"What do you need?" Hotch asked, trying to stay focused on the fact that he was at work with a colleague, not at home with his girlfriend.

"Nothing really," Emily admitted. "I just wanted to see you. Sorry. I know that we're at work, and now that I'm in here saying it, I feel a bit ridiculous," Emily started to blush.

"I'm glad you stopped in. It was taking all of my willpower not to stop by your desk," Hotch admitted.

Emily's heart fluttered. He'd been thinking about her, wanting to see her, just like she had. "How's your day been so far?" Emily took a seat opposite him. She thought it was better to keep the desk in between them as a reminder that

"Well, it's just gotten a lot better," Hotch admitted.

Emily felt her heart beating faster and her blood pumping harder. _Why do you always say the perfect thing?_ "Mine too."

Hotch smiled broadly and Emily smiled back.

"So what are we doing tonight?" Hotch asked.

Emily glanced out the window into the bullpen. She wanted to make sure that their conversation wasn't being overheard. There didn't seem to be anyone within earshot so she turned back to her boyfriend. "I hadn't been aware that we were doing anything," Emily replied.

Hotch couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed. Maybe she didn't feel the same need that he did to be around each other. "We don't have to. I guess we have spent most of the last two days together. It probably would be…prudent of us to spend a day without each other."

Emily frowned, partially because she didn't like his idea, she didn't want to spend a day without him, and partially because it worried her that she felt that way. They had not been dating nearly long enough for her to be at the stage where she didn't want to spend a day without him. It scared her a little. Apparently he wasn't at the same level that she was either, if he was suggesting it. "You're probably right. Tomorrow night though?" she suggested hopefully.

Hotch was somewhat upset that Emily had agreed with him. Still, she had suggested tomorrow. "Tomorrow sounds good."

Emily stood, feeling the need to get back to work and hide her disappointment that she wouldn't be going home with Hotch that night.

"I really wish we weren't at work right now," Hotch informed her.

"How come?" Emily inquired.

"Because then I could jump over this desk and kiss you right now!" Hotch explained, his breathing becoming heavier as he imagined all of the things that he wanted to do to Emily right then and there.

Emily's breath caught. "That would be extremely inappropriate here. But extremely fun."

"So, there's a supply closet near the bathroom…meet me there in an hour?" Hotch grinned.

Emily giggled. "Security cameras? Garcia?" Emily pointed out.

Hotch shrugged. "I'll work something out. Just meet me there. Please?"

Emily shrugged. "I'll be there!" she promised.

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"Dave? I have an extremely unprofessional favor to ask of you," Hotch said, closing the door to his friend's office behind him.

"Oh? What's that?" Rossi leaned back in his chair to give Hotch his full attention.

"I'm…" Hotch considered how to phrase his question. "I'm looking for some privacy with Emily. I know a room where there is no security feed..."

Rossi grinned. "A supply closet you mean?"

Hotch continued on, ignoring the interruption. "As I'm sure you're aware, Garcia has a tendency to watch security feeds, and she's not naïve enough to think that Emily and I would both happen to need something out of this room at the same time. She'd think that something was up."

"Especially when you two didn't come out for a while," Rossi was clearly amused.

"Would you be willing to distract her? Get her away from her computer…away from any computer?" Hotch requested, again ignoring the comment from his older colleague.

"I think I can arrange something. How long do you need?"

"I…I'm not sure. Just…I just need to talk to her, to be able to kiss her…I just need to spend a little time with her where I can pretend we're not at work. Just give me as much time as you can."

"I'll do my best," Rossi promised. _He's gone! He's fallen completely in love with her. I wonder how much he's denying it to himself?_


End file.
